Rayo Vallecano v Almería – Betting Preview
Rayo Vallecano Summary
Rayo Vallecano is enjoying a great positive season and their spirit and confidence are strong.
After beating Villarreal away last weekend they have put themselves in an extremely exciting position. Due to some of the results involving sides just above them before this Monday night contest, a victory here sees them as high as 5th place.
Rayo Vallecano is comfortably clear of the relegation zone and instead, looking up at the top six. They will expect a win here at home to Almeria and anything less is a big setback.
Rayo has good team news with boss Iraola able to call on almost his entire squad barring perhaps Alvaro Garcia who didn’t train on Friday.
Oscar Valentin is back fit, and Raul De Tomas is lacking match sharpness.
Unai Lopez is expected to get the nod even if Valentin is back to full fitness according to Madrid media.
Raul De Tomas is still seeking match fitness having only just returned from a very long-term absence.
Almeria Summary
Almería comes into the game against Rayo Vallecano with added pressure considering some of the positive results of sides beneath them in the division over the weekend.
They are sitting just 3 points above the drop zone, but they know a win could see them make an important step toward safety. Almeria can move as high as 11th place if they get the three points from Vallecas.
On the back of a vital and confidence-boosting win over Espanyol last Friday, the morale is good in Almeria for this trip to the capital.
They would love a victory here against a club that like them, is in great mood and playing with confidence. Almeria would however, happily take a draw before kick off.
Rubi has everybody available as the physio room is empty this week. The only minor injury concern was Kaiky Fernandes, but he is back in full training and ready to feature.
Betting Analysis
Looking at the 1×2 market first. The favourite for this game is Rayo Vallecano at a very short @ 1.80. the league table doesn’t lie perhaps, but the belief is this will not be a smooth ride for the host. Almeria is @ 4.75 to win while the draw is @ 3.65.
Moving onto the Asian handicap market for this contest. Rayo -0.75 are giving away a big start and need to win by 2 clear goals or more for a full win @ 2.04. Again, difficult to see value in this as Rayo are not as good as the table suggest, so Almeria +0.75 is the preference here @ 1.83.
Looking at The Under/Over goal line last of all, which holds more appeal than the above two markets. The line is set at 2.25 and the sense is that Overs is quite attractive @ 1.98. Both teams are tidy in front of goal and create chances. Rayo were strong in defence after a shaky 30 minutes in Villarreal last weekend, but they won’t respect this opponent nearly as much and so the view is goals at both ends here. Should it end with exactly 2 goals then only half of the stake is lost, a reassuring safety net. Under is @ 1.85.
