JUST one point separates Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano down in the bottom half of the standings in La Liga. So there’s a good chance for one of them on Sunday, November 24th at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to grab some points to move up to mid-table.
How the bookies view it: Tight markets as expected
Sevilla are narrow 13/10 favourites to pick up the three points, as they have the advantage of playing at home for the clash. The bookmakers have, not surprisingly, put Rayo Vallecano right there at a quote of 13/10 to bag the away win, however. That’s a fair reflection of just how close of a tight fixture this should be.
Recent head-to-head: Evenly matched duo go at it
There has been one win each and two draws in the last four meetings between Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. Last season’s corresponding fixture ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Sevilla had been on an eight-match home winning streak against Rayo Vallecano before going winless in their last two (D1 L1) at the Mestalla against them.
Players to watch: Jorde de Frutos to deliver for visitors?
Los Rojiblancos have failed to hit the back of the net in their last two league games. That has left Dodi Lukebakio as their top scorer for the campaign, with five goals in thirteen appearances. The midfielder scored Sevilla’s last goal on home turf, which was back at the start of October.
Rayo Vallecano haven’t had anyone looking capable of producing a prolific season in front of goal, either. Jorde de Frutos is their top scorer for the season, with just three goals to his name. His brace got them a victory at Valladolid in early October and as they average under a goal per away game, it’ll likely need someone from midfield with a telling contribution.
Predicted Lineups
Sevilla do have some selection issues with a host of players out, including Lucien Agoume who is suspended because of a red card on his last appearances. He joins Saul Niguez, Tahnguy Nianzou and more on the sidelines. Rayo Vallecano are in better shape, but while they are still missing Diego Mendez, they get a couple of returning players back in contention.
Sevilla: Fernandez; Carmona, Bade, Salas, Pedrosa; Sow, Sanchez, Lokonga; Lukebakio, Romero, Iheanacho
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mumin, Chavarria; De Frutos, Valentin, U Lopez, A Garcia; Palazon, Camello
Anything else catches the eye?
Rayo Vallecano have the better form of the two teams this season, even though they have fumbled a bit to a W2 D2 L2 road record. One of those wins happened at Valladolid who will begin the weekend just one spot above bottom side Valencia. But they did return a disappointing loss at Espanyol and a draw at Getafe who are also in the bottom four. Rayo Vallecano average 0.83 goals per away game this season, the same average rate at which they have conceded. So this has the look of being a low-scoring game.
Sevilla have dropped their last two league matches without finding the back of the net, and have lost three of their last four (W1). So they have hit something of a rough patch and looking back a bit further it has been four losses in their last eight.
Three of their four wins this season have come on home turf, but two of those were against teams beneath them in the league standings. On Sunday, they’ll meet a team who are one point better off than them, so a share of the spoils wouldn't be unexpected.
This La Liga match between Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano will be played on Nov 24, 2024 and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
