Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid Preview: Prediction, Probable Lineups, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Atletico Madrid will look to make it five league wins in a row when they hit the road to square up against Rayo Vallecano.

Atletico Madrid will square up against Rayo Vallecano away from home. Diego Simeone’s men have been on fire in the league of late and will look to continue their dominating run when they travel to face Rayo Vallecano. Meanwhile, the home team will look to return to winning ways.

Atletico Madrid are having a solid season in La Liga, sitting in third place with a nine-point lead over fifth-placed Real Betis. They have been unbeaten in the league since January, winning their last four matches. Although they are not in contention for any trophies this season, they are only five points behind second-placed Real Madrid and have a good chance of finishing the season strong.

Furthermore, Los Rojiblancos have a strong away record, winning eight of their 13 games on the road this season. They have collected 27 points from their away games, which is the third-best record in the league. This will give them confidence as they prepare to face Rayo Vallecano, who have had an impressive season so far.

On the other hand, Rayo Vallecano are enjoying a successful campaign in La Liga, currently sitting in eighth place with 37 points from 27 games. This is a significant improvement from last season when they finished in 12th place on their return to this level.

Moreover, Rayo Vallecano have a good home record, collecting 20 points from 13 games played at their home ground. They will be keen to maintain this record when they square up against Simeone’s men.

However, their recent form has been patchy, with no wins in their last seven games in the league. Both teams will be keen to secure a positive result in their upcoming match. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.

Team News & Tactics

Rayo Vallecano

Rayo Vallecano have a fully fit squad for this fixture against Atletico Madrid. Andoni Iraola is expected to start with the 4-2-3-1 formation where Stole Dimitrievski will start in goal. Florian Lejeune and Alejandro Catena will be the centre-back pairing for this fixture. Ivan Balliu and Fran Garcia will start out wide as full-backs.

Santi Comesana and Oscar Valentin will form the double pivot in the middle of the park. The duo will look to keep things tight and help out their defence against a strong Atletico Madrid attack. Trejo is expected o start in the attacking midfielder’s role.

The duo of Isi Palazon and Alvaro Garcia will be the two wide attackers. They will look to cut inside and make life difficult for the defenders. And finally, Sergio Camello will lead the attack against Atletico Madrid.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dimitrievski; Balliu, Lejeune, Catena, Fran Garcia; Comesana, Valentin; Palazon, Trejo, Alvaro Garcia; Camello

Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone will be without the services of Memphis Depay, Reinildo Mandava and Sergio Reguilon for this away fixture. Apart from them, the Atletico Madrid manager should have everyone available for this outing.

Simeone will start with the 5-3-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be the keeper. Nahuel Molina and Yannick Carrasco will start as the wing-backs, while Jose Maria Gimenez will pair up with the duo of Stefan Savic and Mario Hermoso in the heart of the defence.

As far as the midfield is concerned, Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo De Paul will be on either side of Koke. In attack, Alvaro Morata should pair up with star forward Antoine Griezmann.

Probable Lineup (5-3-2): Oblak; Molina, Savic, Gimenez, Hermoso, Carrasco; Llorente, Koke, De Paul; Morata, Griezmann

Key Stats

• Atletico Madrid are on a four-match winning run in the league.
• Rayo Vallecano have been winless in their last seven league matches.
• Atletico Madrid have won 17 out of their last 27 matches against Rayo Vallecano.
• The reverse fixture ended 1-1, while the visitor’s last trip to the Estadio de Vallecas ended 1-0 in their favour.
• Atletico Madrid have the second-best defence in the league having conceded just 19 goals in their 27 matches.

Player to Watch

Antoine Griezmann

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Griezmann has been in red-hot form since the turn of the calendar. And, Diego Simeone will once again bank on his star man to deliver. The 32-year-old has 21 goal involvements in his 37 outings in all competitions.

As far as the league is concerned, he has scored nine goals and created nine as well in his 27 outings. The French World Cup winner will look to add to his tally when he takes the field against Vallecano.

Prediction

Rayo Vallecano 0-2 Atletico Madrid

The home team have failed to win a game in their last five league outings. Whereas the visitors have won four league games in a row. While both the teams have had a good season overall, the recent results suggest that Atletico Madrid have the upper hand in this fixture.

Rayo Vallecano will try their best to create an upset here. But it seems to be too big a task for the eight-placed team. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.