La Liga preview and odds: Atletico Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano

Published on: 29/04/2016

La Liga preview and odds: Atletico Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano

April 30, 2016 18:15pm - Estadio Vicente Calderon

La Liga

Atletico Madrid could go top of La Liga (for a couple of hours at least) if they can see off the tricky challenge of relegation battlers Rayo Vallecano at Estadio Vicente Calderon on Saturday afternoon.

Atletico can put pressure on leaders

An early kick off on Saturday afternoon will give Atletico Madrid the chance to put some pressure on title rivals Barcelona ahead of their game later the same evening. However, Diego Simeone will not be taking anything for granted as 16th-ranked Rayo Vallecano make the short trip across town for this crucial clash.

Atletico came away from the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich with a 1-0 lead and will be full of confidence - although perhaps somewhat physically jaded - heading into this game. They come into this game on the back of a 15-game unbeaten run on home soil, in which they won 12 and drew three, conceding just five goals in the process.

Rayo looking to maintain cushion over bottom three

Rayo Vallecano are currently on course to retain their La Liga status for yet another season under the guidance of likeable boss Paco Jemez. Although their safety is by no means guaranteed, the team from Madrid have a three-point cushion over their rivals with just three games left to play.

Following this match, they face another tricky away game in San Sebastian before welcoming relegation favourites Leavante to Vallecas on the final day.

Rayo have lost just two of their last eight away games, having drawn the rest and could cause a few problems for the European semi-finalists. In their last game, they were unlucky to be beaten 3-2 at home by third-ranked Real Madrid.

Team news

The home side will be without the injured pair of Diego Godin and Tiago.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be without Raul Baena, Ze Castro, Piti, Patrick Ebert, David Cobeno and Tono Rodriguez.

Recent form (League)

Atletico Madrid: WWWWW

Rayo Vallecano: LDWLW

Betting odds and tips

Rayo are an unpredictable team who take a gung-ho approach to nearly every game they play. Sometimes it pays off and at other times it backfires spectacularly.

It is hard to see them winning at the Estadio Vicente Calderon, after all, only Barcelona have managed that feat in the league this term - however, they could just catch their hosts off-guard and sneak a draw.

You can back the draw at 4/1 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 29/04/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (29/04/2016 14:18:25) but are subject to change.