Matchday 19 of La Liga between Rayo Vallecano and Celta will take place on January 10 at the Campo de Vallecas Stadium in Madrid. Rayo Vallecano vs. Celta: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez (Spain)
Matches – 11 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 55;
Average yellow cards per match – 5;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 36%.
Predicted lineups for Rayo Vallecano vs. Celta
Rayo Vallecano (4-2-3-1): Augusto Batalla – Florian Lejeune, Andrei Ratiu, Pep Chavarria, Aridane Hernandez – Pathé Ciss, Unai Lopez – Adrian Embarba, Alvaro Garcia, Pathé Ciss – Randy Nteka.
Celta (3-4-3): Vicente Guaita – Marcos Alonso, Javi Rodriguez, Carl Starfelt – Oscar Mingueza, Ilaix Moriba, Sergio Carreira, Fran Beltran – Borja Iglesias, Pablo Duran, Alfonso Gonzalez.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Rayo Vallecano
The Madrid side ended last year on a positive note, with a four-match unbeaten run in the league. They first defeated Valencia away (1-0) and then drew three times against strong opponents. At home, Inigo Perez's men drew with Real Madrid (3-3), followed by away draws against Villarreal and Betis (both 1-1). The club sits in 12th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
- The team has won only once in their last seven La Liga matches (3 draws and 3 losses).
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 10 of Rayo Vallecano's last 11 La Liga games.
- In 9 of their last 12 league matches, one team led 1-0 at halftime.
Celta
The Galician side played three La Liga matches in December. They secured 2-0 home victories over Mallorca and Real Sociedad but lost 0-1 away to Sevilla. Celta is one step above Rayo Vallecano, leading by two points. Notably, Claudio Giraldez's team has conceded 28 goals, with only four clubs having worse defenses.
Defender Javi Rodriguez will miss the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards, while forward Iago Aspas is out with an injury.
- At least two goals were scored in 7 of Celta's last 9 league games.
- The club has not won the second half in their last eight away matches in La Liga (3 draws and 5 losses).
- The Galicians conceded at least two goals in 6 of their last 8 away La Liga games.
Rayo Vallecano vs. Celta: Match Prediction
Rayo Vallecano has performed better away this season, earning only 9 points in 8 home matches. However, it's worth noting that they lost to Athletic and Barcelona, both top-four teams, with their only poor performance being against Las Palmas (1-3). I predict Inigo Perez's team will not lose this game and believe bookmakers underestimate them, as they have already taken points from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (draws) and defeated Osasuna at home this season.
Celta, on the other hand, is a distinctly home-oriented team. They have earned just 4 points from 8 away matches, beating only Las Palmas and drawing with Betis. Notably, they have kept a clean sheet only once in away games this La Liga season. Additionally, Rayo Vallecano has not lost to Celta at home in their last 13 league encounters (10 wins and 3 draws).
My prediction – Rayo Vallecano with a handicap (0)
