Rayo Vallecano vs Mallorca prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-08-26 17:30.
Amidst the backdrop of season ticket chaos with some fans queuing for upwards of 33 hours to get their hands on one, Rayo Vallecano perhaps have themselves to blame for the demand after a solid start to their league season (W1, D1). The last time that Rayo were unbeaten after two rounds was back in 2012/13, which was coincidentally their last top-half La Liga finish!
With the crowd behind them, perhaps Rayo can find it within themselves to keep the good times rolling with a belated first home league victory of 2022 (D4, L6). Their current ten-game winning drought here is in fact Rayo’s longest run of winless top-flight home games in club history, so avoiding an extension of that unwanted record is a priority here.
While Mallorca will hope to pile yet more home misery upon their hosts, four defeats across the last five away H2Hs (W1) won’t do their confidence any favours. After finishing just one point above the drop zone last term, the Vermilions have picked up where they left off by failing to win across the first two rounds (D1, L1) despite spending around €15m on new talent.
That may not be enough, with boss Javier Aguirre reportedly offering Barcelona misfit Martin Braithwaite a lifeline. Mallorca will need all the help they can get if they are to improve on a run of eight defeats from 11 away league games during 2022 (W1, D2), though the silver lining is that all three unbeaten games were in their most recent trips.
Key battle: Rayo’s only competitive home win in 2022 came against Mallorca, Óscar Trejo scored the only goal in that game but has been booked in both appearances this term. Trying to stop him will be Pablo Maffeo, who has formed part of a Mallorca backline that has kept a joint-club record three consecutive top-flight away clean sheets ahead of this encounter.
Hot stat: The opposition on the day saw red in both of Rayo’s games this season, whilst Mallorca have averaged 6.5 yellow cards from their openers.