The Matchday 31 clash in La Liga between Athletic and Rayo Vallecano will take place on April 13 at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao. Athletic vs. Rayo Vallecano: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Athletic
Until the last round, Atlético had the best defense in the championship, but now Athletic has matched them in this regard. Both clubs have conceded 24 goals in La Liga. The Basques achieved this thanks to a four-match unbeaten run in the league, during which they defeated Sevilla (1-0) and drew three times. In the last two matches, the team played out goalless draws against Osasuna and Villarreal. The club remains in fourth place, but the nearest challengers are only six points behind.
- No more than two goals have been scored in Athletic's last five La Liga games.
- The Basques have suffered only one defeat in their last 21 league matches (10 wins and 10 draws).
- The club has not conceded more than one goal in their last 16 home matches in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Athletic (4-3-3)
Unai Simón – Andoni Gorosabel, Yuri Berchiche, Dani Vivian, Aitor Paredes – Unai Gómez, Beñat Prados, Mikel Jaureguizar – Iñaki Williams, Gorka Guruzeta, Nico Williams.
Rayo Vallecano
The Madrid side suffered a shocking home defeat to Espanyol (0-4) in the last round. The team last lost by such a large margin in La Liga in May of last year, and at home in May 2022. Besides this, the club has only one win in their last seven league matches (2 draws and 4 losses). Due to this poor run, Iñigo Pérez's side has dropped to ninth place and is now eight points adrift of the European competition spots.
- At least two goals have been scored in Rayo Vallecano's last five La Liga matches.
- The team has won only one first half in their last 10 league games (5 draws and 4 losses).
- The Madrid side has not conceded more than one goal in 11 of their last 12 away matches in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Rayo Vallecano (4-2-3-1)
Augusto Batalla – Florian Lejeune, Andrei Ratiu, Pep Chavarría, Aridane Hernández – Pathé Ciss, Pedro Díaz – Álvaro García, Randy Nteka, Unai López – Jorge de Frutos.
Referee
Adrián Cordero Vega (Spain)
Matches – 15 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 68;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 27%.
Match Prediction: Athletic vs. Rayo Vallecano
The Basques' remaining schedule is not very optimistic. Only two out of eight matches can be considered relatively easy. Given the proximity of their rivals who could still overtake Athletic in the standings, the club needs to collect maximum points, at least in their home La Liga matches. Ernesto Valverde's side has lost only once in the league since mid-October last year (to Atlético), making it very difficult to take points from them.
Rayo Vallecano struggles against top-six opponents: in nine matches in this La Liga season, the club has not won a single game (5 draws and 4 losses). The Madrid side also lacks impressive results on the road, where they have only defeated Leganés and Alavés – teams in the lower part of the table – in their last seven league matches. It's worth noting that the Basques have won 5 of the last 6 head-to-head encounters in the league (with one draw).
My prediction: Athletic to win