Rayo Vallecano vs Alaves Prediction 20 August 2026
🔊 What tactical adjustments will Benat San Jose make after the defeat in the opening match? The headline match of the second round of the Spanish La Liga will be the meeting between Rayo Vallecano and Alaves. The two teams have started the new season in different ways. Campo de Vallecas is not yet ready to host official matches, so the Butarque arena in Leganes will be the venue for this match.
Head-to-Head
📊 Let's take a look at the head-to-head statistics over the last ten meetings: seven wins for Rayo Vallecano and three victories for Alavés. Last season, the Bees came out on top twice against the Glorious - 1:0 at Campo de Vallecas and 2:1 at Mendizorrotza.
Head-to-head statistics Rayo Vallecano - Alaves
Rayo Vallecano Team Overview
⚪️ The current season will be a major test for Rayo Vallecano. The departure of Íñigo Pérez forced the Madrid club to change their long-term strategy and tactical model. Beñat San José earned his promotion through successful work at Eibar, but he still has to prove himself at one of La Liga's most progressive clubs. Last week, Rayo Vallecano added another new signing - Giorgi Citaishvili, who spent last season at Metz, joined as a free agent.
🔴 In the opening round of La Liga, Rayo Vallecano suffered a defeat against Sevilla (1:2). Unforced individual errors and breakdowns in the build-up were the reasons behind the final result. Beñat San José is considered a proponent of counter-pressing football, which partly overlaps with the ideas championed by Andoni Iraola and Íñigo Pérez. The base formation is a 4-2-3-1, with an emphasis on wide pace and quick transitions from defence to attack.
Match Results: Rayo Vallecano
Deportivo Alaves Team Overview
🔵 Since Quique Flores arrived at Alavés, the Glorious have transformed noticeably - this season, much more is expected of them. A quality pre-season instils confidence in a bright future: no defeats in four friendly matches. On top of that, the club from Vitoria-Gasteiz spent generously to strengthen during the transfer window - around €10 million was taken out of the transfer budget. This is further evidence that the Alavés board are ready to back the Spanish manager's ambitions.
⚪️ In the opening round of the Spanish championship, Alavés beat Getafe in dominant fashion (3:0). It is enough to look at the expected goals ratio: 1.93 xG against 0.24. The sending-off of a Getafe player late in the first half played a significant part in how the match unfolded, though that does not take away from the Glorious's creative play. The standout performer was Mariano Díaz - the Dominican footballer needed just 33 minutes to be involved in all three goals (1+2).
Match Results: Deportivo Alaves
Latest news
Rayo Vallecano
❌ Among the unavailable Rayo Vallecano players, Italian defender Luis Felipe continues to stand out - the 29-year-old is still recovering from a hamstring injury.
Deportivo Alaves
❌ The Alavés coaching staff will not be able to count on the following players in the upcoming match: Lucas Boyé (groin injury), Facundo Garcés (suspension) and Nicolás Valentini (muscle injury).
⚽️ Goals Prediction
Since Quique Flores was appointed as Alavés head coach, the team's football has become more attacking. It is enough to look at the average scoring rate over the last ten official matches - 1.7 goals per game. Rayo Vallecano have enough resources to realise their attacking potential. Taking into account that both teams scored in 4 of the 5 previous matches involving the Bees, the editor's pick is a bet on both teams to score (yes) at 2.2*.
🚩 Corners Prediction
When forming the bet, let's pay attention to the ratio of corners earned by the teams in head-to-head meetings: 6.4 vs 5.2. In 5 of the 6 previous meetings, the players approached the corner flags at least 11 times. Rayo Vallecano and Alavés can by no means be called purely defensive teams - on the contrary, both sides are characterised by insufficient compactness in the build-up. The bet is total corners over 9.5 at odds of 1.7*.
🟨 Yellow Cards Prediction
Based on last season's statistics, both sides were generous with bookings: Rayo Vallecano - 2.8, Alavés - 2.6. It is also important to note that in 4 of the 5 most recent head-to-head meetings the referee reached for his card at least five times. So the following bet is the choice here - total yellow cards over 3.5 at odds of 1.33*.
*Odds are indicative and may differ across various bookmaker lines.
⭐️ Editor's Pick
Alavés's performance in the opening round of the current season gave their fans reason for optimism and confirmed the high ambitions of Kike Flores's side. Rayo Vallecano have been experiencing significant organisational problems since the departure of Íñigo Pérez, and there is little coherence in their tactical setup so far. With that in mind, our editors consider a final score of 1:2 a realistic outcome. The key bet is Alavés to score.
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Betting Tips: Rayo Vallecano - Deportivo Alaves
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Comparison of Teams Stats
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