Villarreal Rayo Vallecano prediction 2024-12-18

Villarreal vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-12-17 20:30.
[p]It is now five games across all competitions (D2, L3) since Villarreal last experienced victory, although a 2-1 home defeat against Real Betis on Sunday saw a four-match unbeaten run at the Estadio de la Cerámica come to an end. That loss was all the more frustrating as Betis played for nearly an hour with ten men and head coach Marcelino was particularly critical of his side’s defending post-match. [/p]

[p]That’s not a new issue for the Yellow Submarine who have managed only one clean sheet all season (W8, D5, L5)! But with wins ‘to nil’ in two of their last three home H2Hs (L1), and victories in eight of their last nine home H2Hs overall, the arrival of Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday evening could be just what the team needs.[/p]

[p]The Red Sashes will be no pushovers though, and just as Villarreal’s form has stuttered of late, Rayo have been on the rise. They make the journey to the east looking to extend their unbeaten run to four games (W2, D1) and came back from 3-2 down at home against Real Madrid to pick up a point on Saturday (3-3).[/p]

[p]Across all competitions, Iñigo Pérez has seen his team win three of their last four away games including getting their first victory at the Mestalla Stadium since 2012 when they beat Valencia 1-0 in round 16. That should give them plenty of encouragement to improve their record at Villarreal, and if the visitors can get three more points on Wednesday, they will go into the weekend’s fixtures in the top half of the La Liga table.[/p]

[p]Players to watch: Santi Comesaña returns from suspension for this clash against Rayo, a side who he played for from 2016/17 to 2022/23, and Villarreal are unbeaten (W2, D2) when he has contributed to goals (G2, A2) this season. Isi Palazón scored Rayo’s equaliser against Real Madrid and has got an assist in each of their last three games. He’s also becoming a regular name in the referee’s notebook, picking up a yellow card in rounds 16 and 17![/p]

[p]Hot stat: Rayo Vallecano have not conceded a second-half goal in any of their last four away matches.[/p]

[p][i]Written by Tom Penn[/i][/p]