Wednesday 24/09/2014, 21:00, Spain Primera Division, Round 5, Rayo Vallecano vs Athletic Bilbao

Rayo Vallecano vs Athletic Bilbao Preview

Rayo Vallecano started the regular season poorly once again and it looks like they will be struggling in 2015 to avoid relegation. The team is winless after four rounds and they allowed a lot of goals over the span, which makes the match against Athletic Bilbao worrisome. The visitors have a reputation for scoring goals, but they are much better when playing at home, while being prone to draws on the road.

Rayo Vallecano vs Athletic Bilbao Odds

At Unibet

Rayo Vallecano 3.20, Draw 3.00, Athletic Bilbao 2.40

Rayo Vallecano vs Athletic Bilbao Tips

Rayo Vallecano avoided defeat in the opening round against the reigning champions and then collected another point on the road while scoring twice.

Things took a turn for the worse in the last two weeks when they lost two games and their objective for tonight is to end the losing streak.
The first thing that needs to be done is to bolster the defenses, because they were allowed an average of three goals for match in September. At least on paper, the back line is at full strength and all the players should play at their A-level, but somehow that defenders failed to meet expectations in all games so far.

Athletic Bilbao isn't doing much better, as they were unable to win this month after starting the regular season with a victory at home. Scoring goals didn't used to be a problem for this formation, but 2014 seems to be very different with Bilbao being held scoreless in the last three games. They lost both Primera Division matches and only managed a draw in the Champions League against Shakhtar.

Valverde made some changes in the starting formation last round and used a hybrid with four strikers, but the result was catastrophic. Despite fielding the most offensive team in quite a while, the hosts failed to score and lost to Granada. The visitors had abysmal ball possession of 35%, but that was enough for them to emerge victorious, while Athletic Bilbao sank even further in the standings.

Key Facts

• Athletic Bilbao will play with a sense of urgency, as they need to start winning points, but this will expose them to counterattacks.
• Athletic Bilbao has a slight advantage in head to head games, winning 10 out of 22 matches.

Rayo Vallecano vs Athletic Bilbao Prediction

It is not going to be easy for Rayo Vallecano to turn the ship around, but at least they don't need to worry about an offensive formation. Athletic Bilbao is just a pale shadow of its former self and punters would be wise to bet against them at odds of 1.65 with Unibet. The wager will be a winner if the hosts win or draw, which is excellent value given Bilbao's recent struggles.

Bet: Rayo Vallecano or Draw @ 1.65 with Unibet