The 12th round La Liga clash between Villarreal and Rayo Vallecano will take place on November 2 at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal vs. Rayo Vallecano: prediction and betting tips, odds, statistics.
Probable lineups for the match Villarreal vs. Rayo Vallecano
Villarreal (4-4-2): Diego Conde - Raúl Albiol, Kiko Femenia, Logan Costa, Sergi Cardona - Santi Comesaña, Daniel Parejo, Ilyas Akhomach, Alex Baena - Tierno Barry, Nicolas Pepe.
Rayo Vallecano (4-4-2): Augusto Batalla - Pep Chavarría, Abdul Mumin, Florian Lejeune, Andrei Ratiu - Unai Lopez, Jorge de Frutos, Álvaro García, Oscar Valentín - Isi Palazón, Sergio Camello.
The starting lineup for each team is indicated from their last match in this tournament.
Villarreal
The Valencians moved up to third place after defeating Valladolid away with a score of 2-1. Marcelino García's charges have overtaken Atlético, who lost in their 11th-round encounter and fell to fourth place. Villarreal's record shows only two defeats, which came against Real Madrid (0:2) and Barcelona (1:5). It's also noteworthy that the club's matches this season are the second most productive in terms of goals, with an average of 3.55 goals per game.
Midfielder Denis Suárez and defenders Alfonso Pedraza and Juan Foyth will miss the game due to injuries.
- Both teams have scored in 12 of the last 13 of Villarreal's games in La Liga.
- At least three goals have been scored in 8 of Villarreal's last 11 La Liga matches.
- Two or more goals were scored in the second half in 7 of the last 9 home league matches for the club.
Rayo Vallecano
In their last match, the Madrid side won 1-0 at home against Alavés. The team is in the top half of the league table, just two points behind the European competition spots. In the last seven league matches, Rayo Vallecano has suffered only one defeat (3 wins and 3 draws). The club's away games are among the least productive in La Liga, with an average of 1.65 goals per game.
Defender Alfonso Espino will miss the match due to injury, while defender Abdul Mumin and midfielder Unai Lopez are out due to suspensions.
- A maximum of two goals have been scored in 5 of Rayo Vallecano's last 6 La Liga games.
- The club failed to score in 9 of their last 12 away league matches.
- Rayo Vallecano has not won in the second 45 minutes in 13 of their last 15 La Liga encounters (6 draws and 7 losses).
Villarreal vs. Rayo Vallecano: Match Prediction
The Madrid side has been playing quality, entertaining football this season. It's not surprising that the club is among the top four and ready to fight for a Champions League spot. Villarreal hasn't shown such high results at this stage of the championship since the 2016/17 season, when after 11 rounds they had one more point than they do in the current La Liga. At home, the Valencians are extremely dangerous for any opponent, and in their last eight league matches at Estadio de la Cerámica, they have only lost to Barcelona (4 wins and 3 draws).
Rayo Vallecano is strong at home but rarely wins away. In their last 15 away La Liga matches, the club has only two wins (5 draws and 8 losses). Additionally, the team is highly inefficient in attack. It's also worth noting the head-to-head statistics. In the last 9 encounters at Estadio de la Cerámica in La Liga, the hosts have won 8 times, with only one victory for the Madrid side.
My prediction is a Villarreal win with odds of