Matchday 15 of La Liga will see Espanyol face Rayo Vallecano on December 7 at the Cornella-El Prat Stadium in Barcelona. Espanyol vs. Rayo Vallecano: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Espanyol
Before their away match against Celta in the last round of the championship, many considered the team to be underdogs, but the Catalans managed a hard-fought victory thanks to a late goal. Thus, Espanyol claimed their second consecutive win in La Liga, extending their uncompromising streak in this tournament to seven matches (4 wins, 3 losses). The club retains sixth place in the table, trailing Betis only on tiebreakers. Although the last victory was secured away, Espanyol can be considered a home team, as two-thirds of their La Liga points this season have been earned on their own turf (16 out of 24 points).
- The club has not scored more than one goal in 6 of their last 8 La Liga games.
- Espanyol has not lost in 17 of their last 21 home matches in the championship (10 wins, 7 draws).
- The team has conceded in 5 of their last 6 home matches in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Espanyol (4-4-2)
Marko Dmitrovic – Fernando Calero, Leandro Cabrera, Carlos Romero, Omar El Hilali – Tiris Dolan, Pol Lozano, Urko Gonzalez, Ramon Terrats – Roberto Fernandez Jaen, Pere Milla.
The team captain Javi Puado is unavailable due to injury.
Rayo Vallecano
The results for the Madrid-based team have been mixed. On one hand, they are winless in their last four La Liga matches (3 draws, 1 loss). However, in the last seven rounds, Rayo Vallecano has only suffered one defeat, which came against Villarreal, a top-tier team. On Monday, the club failed to overcome Valencia, who are in the lower part of the table. The Madrid side currently sits ninth, but points-wise, they are closer to 18th place than to the European competition spots. It's also worth noting that this season, Rayo Vallecano has scored just 13 goals in the championship, a tally only worse than Alaves, Osasuna (12 each), and Oviedo (7).
- The club has kept a clean sheet in 5 of their last 7 La Liga games.
- Rayo Vallecano has not scored more than one goal in five consecutive matches in this tournament.
- At least one team failed to score in 7 of Rayo Vallecano's last 8 La Liga matches.
Predicted lineup for Rayo Vallecano (4-5-1)
Augusto Batalla – Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Nobel Mendy, Pep Chavarria – Oscar Valentin, Unai Lopez, Gerard Gumbau, Fran Perez, Alvaro Garcia – Jorge de Frutos.
Midfielder Isi Palazon's suspension has ended, while midfielder Pathé Ciss is still serving his ban. Defender Abdul Mumin and midfielders Pedro Diaz and Oscar Trejo are unavailable due to injuries. Midfielder Randy Nteka's participation in the match is doubtful.
Match Prediction: Espanyol vs. Rayo Vallecano
Recently, Espanyol has alternated between short successful spells and minor slumps, but they perform better at home than away. In their last eight home matches in the current season, the Catalans have suffered only two defeats, with five wins. It's also worth noting the traditionally low-scoring nature of their games, with more than three goals scored in only 2 of the last 20 home matches in La Liga.
Rayo Vallecano has noticeably slowed down since early November, following a three-match winning streak, the club has now gone four La Liga games without a win (3 draws, 1 loss). Away from home, the Madrid side has collected three points in only 2 of their last 7 league matches, with a maximum of three goals scored in 5 of those 7 games.
It's important to add that Espanyol has not lost in 7 of their last 9 home meetings with Rayo Vallecano in La Liga (5 wins, 2 draws). Prediction: 1X + Total under 3.5 goals
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match in this tournament.
