Rayo Vallecano v Barcelona Match Result
So far, so good for Barcelona who have been on some early travels this season. Due to the renovation of Camp Nou, the Blaugrana have been hitting the road on a regular basis. Their first victory of the season came away to Mallorca where the champions were two goals to the good before the home side received two red cards before half-time.
Lamine Yamal put the icing on the cake in that game and there was then a harder-fought triumph at Levante. Barca found themselves two goals down by half-time in that contest before Pedri and Ferran Torres reduced the arrears shortly after the break. An own goal at the death settled the match in favour of the visitors who had an astonishing 82% of possession.
Now Hansi Flick’s side head to El Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas where they’re predictably strong favourites to record a victory. According to the latest odds, Barcelona have a greater than 70% chance of landing another maximum haul. They were able to win fourteen of their nineteen road matches last term and it’s easy to see them landing another three points.
However, Rayo Vallecano were a top-half team last season. They finished eighth in the overall standings, winning thirteen and drawing thirteen of their thirty-eight encounters. They were fairly hard to beat on home soil, suffering just five defeats, with eight draws and six victories also being recorded.
The Red Sashes began the season with a victory of their own. They were 3-1 winners away to Girona after scoring three unanswered first-half goals. They were helped by the home team having their goalkeeper red carded, with the team then returning back from Belarus after a 1-0 success in the Europa Conference League.
Goals Under/Over
The danger for the home side is that they’ll suffer from early fixture overload. They will have played away to Athletic Bilbao on Monday before the second leg of the European tie on Thursday. There might be some fatigue against an energetic team and that’s why an away win is likely.
It’s also why we might see Barcelona record a number of goals. They have found the net three times apiece in each of their first two away games. There were eight shots on target when winning 3-0 at Mallorca and then ten shots on target when claiming a 3-2 success at Levante. It also shouldn’t be forgotten that the home side scored five times in that game.
Over 2.5 Goals therefore looks a solid pick and there’s a 70% chance of that happening according to the latest betting odds. You could even push the boat out and chance Over 3.5 Goals at a bigger price.
BTTS
In the past three seasons, the clash between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona have seen both teams find the net. Last term, they met at a similar point in the season and the visitors left with a 2-1 victory. Unai Lopez put the home side in front before goals from Pedri and Dani Olmo were able to turn things around. There were nine shots on target recorded in that clash, with four from the hosts and five from the visitors.
However, a more recent meeting at the Nou Camp was a different matter. On that occasion in February, it was only a Robert Lewandowski penalty that separated the two sides. Barca were restricted to five efforts on goal in that clash. However, this is an attack-minded side on the road and there is no European football to be concerned with right now.
Last term, the Catalan side were able to score fifty times on the road in the space of nineteen clashes. That is pushing an average of three per game, with their being the obvious chance that Rayo Vallecano will find a way to score, even if it’s bracketed under the consolation effort category.
First Goalscorer
Robert Lewandowski came off the bench at Levante to help his team land a 3-2 victory, with the Polish striker having notched twenty-seven goals for Barcelona in Primera Liga last term. However, it’s possible that Hansi Flick will use him sparingly and there are some other good options for first scorer. That includes Raphinha who broke the deadlock at Mallorca.
The Brazilian always offer a lively scoring threat while it’s worth noting that Ferran Torres has scored in consecutive matches thus far. The Spanish international is operating in that centre forward position right now and could well be the player to back here. You might even consider him as an anytime scorer option.
Pedri was also on the scoresheet at Levante to get off the mark for the season, with Marcus Rashford hoping to get his opportunity to find the net. There’s a threat that could also come from Rayo Vallecano, with Jorge de Frutos and Alvaro Garcia potential options to find the net in this encounter.
However, the Barcelona options are probably the most attractive and it’s one way of boosting your Bet Builder by choosing an anytime scorer option along with a win for the Catalan side.