Rayo Vallecano vs Sevilla prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-02-28 15:15.
[p]Back-to-back defeats for the first time in nearly three months are threatening to derail Rayo Vallecano’s surprise European ambitions. The Red Sashes, whose sole entry in a UEFA competition came back in 2000/01, have suffered a pair of 1-0 reversals to Barcelona and Villarreal, meaning they enter this round clinging onto a place in the top six by virtue of goal difference.[/p]
[p]Rayo mustered just nine shots on target across those recent defeats, while their total of 27 La Liga goals this season is comfortably lower than any of the teams above them. A return to El Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas should help their strikeforce, with 17 of the club’s strikes in the league this term arriving on home soil, yet only five La Liga sides have won fewer league games at home ahead of the matchday. [/p]
[p]Looking to pile on the misery will be a Sevilla side who have an impressive record in H2Hs, losing just one of the last 18 meetings between the two sides (W12, D5). The visitors make the trip to Madrid attempting to not only extend a run of three away fixtures without defeat (W2, D1), but also secure a third successive clean sheet on their travels – something they last achieved across all competitions in February 2021. [/p]
[p]Their most recent match on the road was a historic one, as Los Nervionenses beat Real Valladolid 4-0, a result that serves as their joint-biggest victory on the road in La Liga! That was followed by a 1-1 draw against Mallorca on Monday, which means GarcĂa Pimienta’s side have lost only one of their last seven outings (W2, D4), while their 32 points after 25 matches is more than they had at the same stage of the last two campaigns.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Rayo defender Florian Lejeune has beaten Sevilla just once in 11 H2Hs (D5, L5), collecting a joint-career high five yellow cards in the process. Sevilla’s Dodi Lukebakio will hope to add another defeat to that record and his last four goals have all come away from home, with three of them netted after the 80th minute.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Rayo Vallecano have scored a La Liga-high five goals in the opening 15 minutes of their home league games this season.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]