Celta Vigo - Rayo Vallecano predictions and free betting tips [31/03/2024]

On Sunday, 31st March, within the 30th round of the Spanish Primera, "Celta" will host "Rayo Vallecano" on its home turf. Currently, the "Celts" are in the 17th spot in the league table, two points ahead of the relegation zone's "Cadiz," while "Rayo" sits in the 15th place and broke a two-month streak of failure just two weeks ago.

Celta

Just like the previous season, "Celta" is participating in the relegation battle, and the hosts will have to step it up to stay in the elite. The Galicians are just two points ahead of "Cadiz" which is 18th, and before the international break, the "Celts" were trounced 4:0 by Madrid's "Real" at Santiago Bernabeu, costing Rafa Benitez his coaching job. This jolt helped the team: in the following round, the sky-blues defeated "Sevilla" (1:2) under the guidance of Claudio Hiraldo, with Carles Perez and Jorgen Larsen scoring. Conversely, out of their last five home games at Balaidos, the hosts have only one win under their belt, a 1:0 victory over "Almeria". Additionally, "Celta" has the fourth-worst performance in La Liga this season amongst home pitches, earning only 13 points over 14 rounds.

The squad from Vigo is weakened by personnel losses: Mancillo is benched for the foreseeable future, as is main player Joseph Aidu, while Dotor has groin issues. Among those with questionable participation in the upcoming match are Ristic, midfielder De la Torre (1 goal, 4 assists in La Liga this season), Tapia (18 goals in La Liga), and Swedish talent Svedberg (3 goals in 10 league matches). However, team captain Yago Aspas (5 goals, 6 assists) and Greek Duvikas (4 goals) are available for play and will likely boost the team's efforts with their second-half substitutions. Jorgen Strand Larsen, who scored his 10th championship goal in the last round, will again lead the attack center, with Jonathan Bamba supporting him on the wing.

"Rayo Vallecano"

From January, "Rayo Vallecano" has been in complete disarray: the guests have failed to win for nine consecutive league rounds and have lost six. But having suffered two losses in the last three matches against "Girona" (3:0), "Cadiz" (1:1) and "Rayo Vallecano" (1:0), this streak concluded right before the international break, when the team beat "Betis" 2:0, with Florian Lejeune and Sergio Camello scoring. In general, the visitors are seven points clear of the relegation zone and aspire to complete their third consecutive campaign in the elite division, occupying the 12th and 11th place after returning to La Liga from Segunda in 2021. Importantly, "Rayo" performs quite well away from home: in 15 away meetings, it has gathered 16 points, scored 11 goals, and conceded 16.

Indeed, the calendar favours Inigo Perez's charges: they are set to duel with "Getafe", "Osasuna" and crisis-ridden "Villarreal" in April. On Sunday, "Rayo Vallecano" will not be able to count on Diego Mendes (injury), or the disqualified Lejeune and Raul de Tomas (excess yellow cards) - the former will be replaced by Andrei Ratiu. Central defender Aridan, who joined from "Osasuna" last summer, is questionable, as is Kike Perez, who is rumoured to have suffered a muscular tear. Isi Palazon (3 goals) and Sergio Camello (3 goals) are the standout attackers of the capital's team and are expected to start, while Oscar De Frutos will be responsible for creativity on the wing.

Head-to-head

"Rayo" is unbeaten in the last six encounters with "Celta", with their last victory over the sky-blues dating back to January 2019. The first round ended in a goalless draw.

Prediction for the match Celta - Rayo Vallecano

Both teams have been struggling this season, but "Celta" has shown some fight after a coaching change (only 1 loss in the last 4 rounds). Support from the home crowd should help the "Celts" secure all three points, especially given the overflow of the opponent's infirmary. "Rayo" hasn't been able to beat field hosts in competitions for five years, so I'm betting on a home victory for the sky-blues.