La Liga matchday 24 between Rayo Vallecano and Atletico Madrid will take place on 15 February at the Municipal Stadium Butarque in Leganes. Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Rayo Vallecano
With their previous La Liga fixture against Oviedo postponed, Rayo Vallecano have had two weeks to reset after a difficult run of three straight league defeats. In their last outing, Rayo Vallecano came very close to a shock draw in the derby against Real Madrid (1:2), but their opponents still snatched all three points after scoring the winner from the penalty spot in the 100th minute. That painful late goal sent the club down into the relegation zone. Still, the outcome looks fairly logical, given that across the last 12 La Liga matches the Madrid side have managed just one win.
- Since the start of the current La Liga season, Rayo Vallecano have scored 18 goals in total, with only Oviedo (12) finding the net fewer times.
- The team have won with a (+1.5) handicap in eight of their previous 11 league matches.
- At least two goals have been scored in each of the last six matches involving the Madrid side in this tournament.
Potential Rayo Vallecano Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Augusto Batalla - Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Nobel Mendy, Pep Chavarria - Pathé Ciss, Gerard Gumbau - Isi Palazon, Ilyas Akhomach, Alvaro Garcia - Jorge De Frutos.
Defender Pep Chavarria and midfielder Pathé Ciss are suspended.
Atletico Madrid
Last week, the club unexpectedly lost at home to Real Betis (0:1). As a result, Atletico ended a six-match unbeaten run in La Liga (four wins, two draws). Across their last two games in this competition, the team have taken only one point from a possible six, and on both occasions the Madrid side failed to score - something that had not happened in the league since March 2024. As a result, Atletico 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 have conceded 18 goals in total - the best record, matched only by Real Madrid.
- No more than two goals were scored in eight of the club’s last 10 away league matches.
- At least one team failed to score in five of Atletico’s previous six matches in this tournament.
Potential Atletico Madrid Lineup (4-4-2)*
Jan Oblak - Marcos Llorente, Jose Maria Gimenez, David Hanczko, Matteo Ruggeri - Rodrigo Mendoza, Koke, Giuliano Simeone, Thiago Almada - Julian Alvarez, Ademola Lookman.
Midfielders Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso are unavailable due to injury.
Referee
Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea (Spain)
Matches - 12 (La Liga, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) - 47;
Average yellow cards per match - 3.9;
Red cards shown - 1;
Average fouls per match - 21;
Penalties - 50%.
Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid: Match Prediction
Rayo Vallecano have dropped into the La Liga relegation zone, and it is a fairly deserved outcome for the last few months. Since the start of November, the team have won only one of their 12 Spanish top-flight matches. That sole victory came recently, in mid-January, but after the positive result against Mallorca the Madrid side slowed down even more than before and suffered three consecutive defeats. Now the club face one of their least-favoured opponents. In head-to-head meetings with Atletico in La Liga, Rayo Vallecano have not won since 2013, and during that time they have managed to take even a single point in just three of 17 matches.
Atletico need to step up after two less-than-impressive performances in recent La Liga rounds. The team have failed to score in their last two league matches, but at the same time they have hit nine goals in total in cup battles against Real Betis and Barcelona, so there is no need to talk about a drop in goalscoring yet. In La Liga it is now unlikely they will catch the leaders, but if they slip up on Sunday the Madrid side risk dropping out of the top three, so they should be setting up for a win here.
It is also important to add that Rayo Vallecano will not have home advantage, as 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 listed is from their most recent match in this tournament.