Rayo Vallecano vs Ath Bilbao prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-05-24 16:30.
[p]After a late season scrap for survival, Rayo Vallecano can breathe easily on the final day of the La Liga season, with their top-flight status safely secured. Their penultimate home game of this campaign saw them make amends for an embarrassing 1-0 loss to bottom-of-the-table AlmerĂa with a stronger performance against Granada (2-1) that confirmed their place in a fourth consecutive top-flight season. [/p]
[p]Whilst they’ve taken a significant step backward compared to last campaign, 36-year-old head coach Iñigo Pérez has urged his players to “celebrate” their survival before his first pre-season in charge of the team. Collecting their first and only home win as an underdog of the season (D3, L2) would certainly be a nice way to bow out, though as only the bottom-two have won fewer points on home soil than Rayo, confidence may not be high.[/p]
[p]Athletic Club’s first European campaign since 2017/18 awaits them next season after winning the Copa del Rey and securing their best finish in eight seasons with a 2-0 win at home to Sevilla last round. That was despite a late season stumble in which they have won just two of their last eight league games (D3, L3), albeit with difficult trips to both Real and Atlético Madrid in the mix.[/p]
[p]When his contract extension to June 2025 was announced last week, manager Ernesto Valverde spoke of the importance of “giving a good account of ourselves” in all away matches, so one can therefore expect them to put in a full effort here. They have been far from their best when visiting some of the league’s strugglers though, drawing all four La Liga away trips to the other clubs joining Rayo in the bottom quarter of the standings![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Rayo centre back Florian Lejeune delighted his fans by opening the scoring in two of their last three home wins in this competition. Iñaki Williams delivered a double in Athletic’s last away La Liga victory and is searching for his first goal away to Rayo after striking in the reverse H2H.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Nine of Rayo’s last 12 La Liga home games produced under 2.5 total goals.[/p]