Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Match Overview – 31.08.2025
Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Match Overview – 31.08.2025
Rayo Vallecano hosts Barcelona at the Estadio de Vallecas in a game from the third round of La Liga. Just like it was the case last season, these two teams face each other at the beginning of the campaign. An year ago Barca secured a very difficult win and now we don’t expect anything different – Rayo will be a tough opponent. Let’s preview it in our Value bets analysis for soccer games.
Los Cules have two wins from the first two matches. Last weekend Hansi Flick’s team had a pretty tough visit to Levante in Valencia. They were two goals behind at half-time, but still managed to secure a 3-2 win. Once again Flick was not happy with his team’s performance, though – Barca could have some serious problems if they continue to play like that, especially in defence.
Rayo Vallecano suffered their first defeat for the season against Athletic Bilbao last weekend – 0-1 at the San Mames Barria. Los Franjirrojos finished the game with a xG of just 0.29 which comes to tell us they weren’t very active upfront. They need to do more against Barca.
Rayo Vallecano News & Analysis
Rayo Vallecano’s head coach Inigo Perez could be contemplating some changes in the line-up against the Catalan giants. Gerard Gumbau could reinforce the midfield while Oscar Trejo, Fran Perez and Sergio Camello all started from the bench against Bilbao. We could see them in the line-up against Barcelona on Sunday.
For Rayo it’d be crucial to perform as good as possible in defence. This means that players like Pathe Ismael Ciss have to be at the top of their game. At the same time Barcelona showed some defensive weakness against Levante – and this is giving Rayo a chance to hurt them.
Barcelona News & Analysis
Hansi Flick is not happy with the way his team is playing at the moment, despite winning the first two matches against Mallorca and Levante. The German coach wants to see more determination from his players. He already warned them that they need to increase their focus as soon as possible.
Flick took some interesting decisions against Levante as he put Marc Casado and Marcus Rashford in the starting eleven. Now we expect to see them both on the bench while Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo could start. Gavi and Fermin Lopez remain options for the German manager as well.
Jules Kounde could make his first start for the new season, too. Flick preferred Eric Garcia in the first two rounds, but Kounde remains his top choice for the right back position. If the Frenchman is in a better shape – he will start against Rayo.
Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona Betting Predictions
This won’t be an easy match for Barcelona, but it’s also their game to lose – they remain favourites here.
- X2;
- Rayo Vallecano Over 0.5 Goals;
Head-to-Head Matches
Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona faced each other 29 times in La Liga. The Catalans won 18 of these games while Rayo emerged victorious in 6.
Betting Verdict
If Barca don’t fix their defensive issues, this could be a very tough visit to the Vallecas for them. Los Cules are favourites for the win, but Rayo Vallecano are usually giving them a lot of trouble at home. Thank you for staying with us and our Value bets analysis for soccer games!