Rayo Vallecano - Las Palmas predictions and free betting tips [20/01/2024]

On Saturday, 20 January, as part of the 21st round of Spanish Primera Division, Rayo Vallecano will host Las Palmas on their home turf. The Madrid-based squad played their most recent national league match against Getafe (2:0) on 2 January, whilst the Islanders thrashed Villarreal on their home ground 3:0 a week ago.

Predicted Line-up

Rayo Vallecano: Dimitrievski; Balliu, A Hernandez, Lejeune, Espino; Palazon, U Lopez, Valentin, De Frutos; Camello, Nteka.
Las Palmas: Valles; Suarez, Herzog, Marmol, S Cardona; Munoz, Perrone, K Rodriguez; El Haddadi, Sandro, Moleiro.

Stadium

The battle will occur in Madrid at the Campo de Vallekas stadium.

Rayo Vallecano

Currently holding 11th place in the La Liga standings, Rayo Vallecano could possibly fight even for a European spot, but they have lost too many points in the last several rounds. Prior to beating Getafe 0:2 right after the New Year, the Madrid squad had an eight-game winless streak. Last week the red-and-whites visited formidable Girona for the Copa del Rey 1/8 final match, but ended up losing 3:1.

An interesting fact: Rayo is second-to-last in La Liga in terms of scored goals (only 18), but they defend brilliantly, conceding a decent 24 goals. However, 'Los Franjirrojos' hold the second-worst home record this season, having collected merely eight points from nine meetings with their supporters, with the majority of points gained on the road (15).

Las Palmas

Las Palmas is looking promising since their elevation up the ranks last season, currently holding 9th place in the La Liga standings, trailing just four points behind Real Sociedad in the 6th spot. With a lot of the championship still ahead, it appears that the Islanders might lack the energy to compete for the European spots, but relegation is definitely not threatening the yellow-blues.

The only blemish on Las Palmas's record was their loss to neighbouring Tenerife 2:0 in the 1/16 final of the Copa del Rey. In the last La Liga round, Las Palmas scored a confident victory over Villarreal 3:0. Yet, Garcia Pimenta's charges are among this season's least scoring teams in the Primera Division with only 19 goals, but they are second in terms of defence effectiveness after Real Madrid (17).

Head-to-Head Matches

Las Palmas has not won any of the last nine confrontations with Rayo Vallecano, including a 1:0 defeat in the first round at the start of this season.

Match Preview for Rayo Vallecano vs Las Palmas

Rayo Vallecano is eagerly looking to please their fans with a long-awaited victory, but a very stubborn opponent will be visiting them. Besides the standings in the league table, it is important to consider that the Islanders did not play mid-week in the national cup and come fully geared up for this clash. With a win, Las Palmas will cut the gap to a European spot to a mere point. How is that for motivation? I am placing my bet on Las Palmas at least not losing on Saturday.

Total Goals Prediction

Las Palmas conceded less than one goal per game this season, whereas the hosts are weakened by suspensions and Bebe's national team duty. I dare to bet on Rayo Vallecano's individual total under 1.5 goals.

Corner Prediction

Both sides on average have only 4 corners per game, so I confidently bet on the total corners under 9.5.

Yellow Cards Prediction

One thing this game will not lack is fouls: the teams earn more than 2.5 yellow cards per match, so there won't be less than five cautions.

Score Prediction

I'll put a wager on the exact score of 0:1 in favour of Las Palmas.