Rayo Vallecano vs Valencia prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-04-18 12:00.
[p]A promising season which saw Rayo Vallecano reach the heights of the La Liga top six in February is threatening to fizzle out after a run of just one win in their last eight league outings (D2, L5). That includes back-to-back defeats by an aggregate score of 7-1, the latest of which was a 3-1 reverse to Athletic Club, a result that leaves them eight points shy of the top six.[/p]
[p]The omens could be with Iñigo PĂ©rez’s men here, as when Rayo lost to Athletic in this season’s reverse fixture in December, their next league fixture saw them beat Valencia (1-0), although a repeat of that scoreline would appear unlikely based on current form at least. In Rayo’s case, that’s due in large part due to their failure to win any of their last four games at Campo de Futbol de Vallecas (D2, L2) where they have a particularly poor defensive record, with only the teams inside the relegation zone conceding more home goals than their 23.[/p]
[p]Having struggled for so much of the campaign, Valencia actually head into this clash as one of the most in-form sides in La Liga and in much better shape than their hosts. Only Barcelona (28) have taken more points than Los Ches (21) over their last ten league outings (W6, D3, L1), with the one loss in that streak coming at the hands of Atlético Madrid.[/p]
[p]The rise of Valencia under boss Carlos Corberán, who was appointed on Christmas Eve with the club four points from safety, has been so stark that they can now realistically target a top-half finish. Victory here would not only see them go unbeaten for seven games for the first time since 2022, but would move them level on points with opponents Rayo, who Los Ches have lost just two of last seven away H2Hs against (W2, D3). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Scorer of Rayo’s winner in the reverse fixture, all-action Pathé Ciss has two goals and a yellow card in his last three league games. Also in a hot patch of form is Diego López, who has directly contributed to five goals in his last six La Liga matches (G4, A1), including an assist in Valencia’s 1-0 win over Sevilla last week. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only bottom-of-the-table Valladolid (32) have conceded more first-half goals than Valencia in La Liga this season (26). Â [/p]
[p][i]Written by Luke Bridle [/i][/p]