The La Liga Matchday 24 clash between Rayo Vallecano and Atletico Madrid will take place on 15 February at the Butarque Municipal Stadium in Leganes. Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Rayo Vallecano
As the match against Real Oviedo from the previous La Liga round was postponed, Rayo Vallecano have had two weeks to reset after a tough run of three straight defeats in the Spanish top flight. In their most recent outing, Rayo Vallecano came very close to a shock draw in the derby against Real Madrid (1:2), but the opposition still snatched all three points, scoring the winner from the penalty spot in the 100th minute. That painful goal sent the club into the relegation zone. Still, the outcome can be described as logical, because across the last 12 La Liga matches the Madrid outfit have recorded just one win.
- Since the start of the current La Liga season, Rayo Vallecano have scored 18 goals in total - only Real Oviedo (12) have fewer.
- The team have won with a (+1.5) handicap in eight of their last 11 league matches.
- At least two goals have been scored in six straight matches involving the Madrid side in this competition.
Potential Rayo Vallecano Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Augusto Batalla - Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Nobel Mendy, Pep Chavarria - Pathé Ciss, Gerard Gumbau - Isi Palazon, Ilias Akhomach, Alvaro Garcia - Jorge De Frutos.
Defender Pep Chavarria and midfielder Pathe Ciss are suspended.
Atletico Madrid
Last week, Atletico Madrid suffered an unexpected defeat at home to Real Betis (0:1). That result ended the club's six-match unbeaten run in La Liga (four wins, two draws). Across their last two games in this competition, the team have taken just one point out of a possible six, and in both matches the Madrid outfit failed to score - something that had not happened in the league since March 2024. As a result, Atletico Madrid now share third place in the standings with Villarreal, who have a game in hand. The gap to leaders Barcelona has grown to 13 points.
- In the current La Liga season, Atletico Madrid have conceded 18 goals in total - the best figure, level with Real Madrid.
- No more than two goals have been scored in eight of the club's last 10 away matches in the Spanish top flight.
- At least one side failed to score in five of Atletico Madrid's previous six matches in this competition.
Potential Atletico Madrid Lineup (4-4-2)*
Jan Oblak - Marcos Llorente, Jose Maria Gimenez, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri - Rodrigo Mendoza, Koke, Giuliano Simeone, Thiago Almada - Julian Alvarez, Ademola Lookman.
Midfielders Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso are unavailable due to injury.
Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid: Match Prediction
Rayo Vallecano have dropped into the La Liga relegation zone, and that is a fair reflection of the past few months. Since the start of November, the team have won only one of their last 12 league matches. That sole victory came recently, in mid-January, but after the positive result against Mallorca the Madrid side have dipped even further, suffering three straight defeats. Now the club face one of their least favourite opponents. In La Liga head-to-head meetings with Atletico Madrid, Rayo Vallecano have not won since 2013, and over that spell they have managed to take even a single point only three times in 17 matches.
Atletico Madrid need to respond after two less-than-impressive performances in the latest La Liga rounds. The team have failed to score in their last two league games, but at the same time they have netted nine goals in total in cup ties against Real Betis and Barcelona, so it is too early to talk about a downturn in attacking output. In La Liga, it is already unlikely they will catch the leaders, but if they slip up on Sunday the Madrid outfit risk dropping out of the top three, so they must be setting up for a win.
It is also important to add that Rayo Vallecano will not have home advantage, because due to the poor condition of the pitch at Campo de Vallecas the match will be played at a neutral venue in Leganes.
Prediction: Atletico Madrid to win
* For each team, the starting XI shown is from their last match in this competition.
