La Liga: Rayo Vallecano Put Their Flawless Home Record On the Line Against Real Betis

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis

Rayo Vallecano may have been punching above their weight in their La Liga return this season, but their Spanish top-flight credentials are to be tested once more when they’ll host Real Betis this Sunday at the Estadio de Vallecas.

Expectations were low for them upon their return to the top-flight this season. But by the looks of it, it feels like they’re going to stay for a considerable amount of time.

They aren’t far from off in terms of points with their visitors in Real Betis, who are sitting at third place with 33 points. Los Verdiblancos have stuttered in the league lately and holding on to their current spot remains their main objective.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds pitch for a Real Betis victory since they’ve had Los Vallecanos’ number here in La Liga. However, the hosts are hungry and they’re more than ready to prove their doubters wrong.

Learn more about these two proud sides as we dive deep through today’s match preview.

Talking Points

There’s no place like home for Rayo Vallecano

Since returning to the top-flight for the first time in two seasons, Los Vallecanos have been one of the surprising stories this campaign as they’re in contention for a place in Europe.

For context, the hosts have 30 points and are placed sixth in the standings as of this writing – which is above the likes of Real Sociedad, Villarreal, and Valencia.

The key ingredient why they’ve been successful thus far is because of their dominance at home as they’ve yet to lose in their first nine games (W8, D1), becoming the first newly-promoted side to do this since Numancia in 1999/00.

Leading the way are are their veterans in Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Garcia Rivera, and Oscar Trejo, who have totaled for 13 goals and eight assists. Other than these three, they have young players who can wreak havoc up front such as Randy Nteka and Andres Martin, who have found the back of the net in four occasions.

Los Vallecanos would’ve entered the top four if they didn’t lose to Atletico Madrid in their previous La Liga match on Sunday, but they somehow redeemed themselves with a win yesterday vs. Segunda Division side Mirandes.

It won’t get any easier for Rayo Vallecano as after they’ll take on Real Betis, next up is a rejigged Barcelona – who have been busy in the transfer window following the addition of Ferran Torres.

Juanmi torching the nets for Real Betis

Los Verdiblanco’s back-to-back league losses have pushed them out of contention for this season’s championship, but they remain in a good spot of securing their return to the Champions League.

For them to do so, all of them have to be more consistent as top scorer Juanmi cannot do it all.

Juanmi is undoubtedly Los Verdiblancos’ best player since he’s their most viable attacking threat. With 13 goals and one assist, not only he is topping the team in scoring, but he’s also second behind Karim Benzema for the prestigious Pichichi award.

The 28-year-old was rested in yesterday’s 3-0 victory vs. Real Valladolid, so he should be ready to go this Sunday. 

History

Rayo Vallecano may have struggled against Real Betis in La Liga, but they’re optimistic that they’ll remain perfect at home at the end of this fixture.

Los Vallecanos haven’t won in any of their last five La Liga meetings against Los Verdiblancos (D2, L3) after having won six of their previous eight with them in this competition (D2).

But Real Betis have only won once in their last 10 visits at the Estadio de Vallecas in all competitions (D5, L4). Their last away win was a 2-0 result back in October 2015 where former skipper Joaquin Sanchez made his 400^th appearance wearing the Green and White.

Betting Tip

	Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis	1X2 Draw @ 3.20
	January 9, 21:00 (GMT+8)

The updated La Liga 2022 odds expect this matchup to be as close as it gets since Rayo Vallecano are priced to win at 2.49 while Real Betis are pegged at 2.80 in the 1X2 market.

With both clubs fresh from wins in the Copa del Rey, Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis carry some momentum and they appear to be evenly matched on paper.

So we’re learning towards a Draw at 3.20, although we wouldn’t be surprised if this game goes either way. We might not see a ton of goals for this tight affair, but football fans can still expect these two sides to generate a healthy amount of La Liga 2022 highlights.

 

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