AEK vs Rayo Vallecano prediction 16.04.2026 | Conference League
Kick off:
Date:
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2.11
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3.60
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3.58
Contents
- Competition: Conference League
- Date: Thursday, 16th April 2026
- Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CEST
- Venue: Allwyn Arena (Athens)
After a heavy defeat in Spain last week, AEK will need a miracle on Thursday night in Athens to progress to the semifinals. The Greek side played well at their home stadium lately and will not lose hope that a miracle is possible. Can AEK Athens win in the rematch against Rayo Vallecano? Let's break down the match and find the best betting option.
vs Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Rayo Vallecano
3 : 0
AEK Athens
Europa Conference League
Rayo Vallecano won 3-0 against AEK in the first H2H match between the two teams last week. Although the Spanish side was better, AEK still deserved to score at least once. Now, with a huge advantage, Marko Nikolic's team will chase a miracle on Thursday night.
AEK team overview
Even if AEK Athens finishes their Conference League campaign on Thursday, the 2025/26 season will be considered successful if Marko Nikolic's team wins the Greek Super League title. AEK are five points ahead of the closest opponents in the domestic competition, PAOK and Olympiacos. The last few weeks were excellent for AEK, as they lost only once in the last 14 matches. Last weekend, Marko Nikolic's team didn't play, so they had plenty of time to prepare for the decisive game against Rayo Vallecano.
AEK Athens are excellent at the Allwyn Arena, where they have won nine of their last 12 matches in all competitions. However, even AEK rarely won by three or more goals at home, and that is what they will be aiming for on Thursday.
Luka Jovic received another yellow card last week and will not play in the upcoming tie. Also, AEK will be without Alexander Callens, while Petros Mantalos is questionable, and his status will be clearer closer to the kickoff.
Last matches of
-
Rayo Vallecano
3 : 0
AEK Athens
Europa Conference League
-
Olympiacos Piraeus
1 : 1
AEK Athens
Super League
-
AEK Athens
3 : 0
Kifisia
Super League
-
AEK Athens
0 : 2
Celje
Europa Conference League
-
Atromitos
2 : 2
AEK Athens
Super League
lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Thomas Strakosha
Defenders
-
12
Lazaros Rota
-
2
Harold Moukoudi
-
44
Filipe Relvas
-
3
Stavro Pilo
Midfielders
-
11
Aboubakary Koita
-
13
Orbelin Pineda
-
20
Petros Mantalanos
-
37
Roberto Pereyra
Forwards
-
90
Zini
-
25
Barnabas Varga
Rayo Vallecano team overview
The 2025/26 season could prove complicated for Rayo Vallecano. They are only three points above the drop zone in the domestic league and need a few more good results to secure another year in La Liga. Rayo Vallecano didn't impress recently, with only two victories in the last six matches. In the previous game, Inigo Perez's team lost 3-0 on the road against Mallorca. The teams were pretty even for most of the game, but the hosts' much better efficiency left Rayo Vallecano empty-handed.
Rayo Vallecano have had big problems away from home recently. They won only once in the previous eight road matches. Also, Perez's team scored just six goals in those eight games.
Diego Mendez is injured and will be the only player from Rayo Vallecano not to travel to Athens.
Last matches of
-
Mallorca
3 : 0
Rayo Vallecano
La Liga
-
Rayo Vallecano
3 : 0
AEK Athens
Europa Conference League
-
Rayo Vallecano
1 : 0
Elche
La Liga
-
FC Barcelona
1 : 0
Rayo Vallecano
La Liga
-
Rayo Vallecano
0 : 1
Samsunspor
Europa Conference League
lineup
Goalkeeper
-
13
Augusto Batalla
Defenders
-
2
Andrei Ratiu
-
5
Luiz Felipe
-
24
Florian Lejeune
-
3
Pep Chavarria
Midfielders
-
17
Unai Lopez
-
7
Isi Palazon
-
6
Pathe Ciss
Forwards
-
12
Ilias Akhomach
-
19
Jorge de Frutos
-
18
Alvaro Garcia
Prediction
AEK Athens are excellent at their home stadium recently. They have won nine of the last 12 matches. On the other hand, Rayo Vallecano won only once in the previous eight road games. Last week, the Spanish side won 3-0, but the game on Thursday night should be completely different. AEK will chase a miracle and should win in the upcoming tie.
4 Reasons why AEK should win against Rayo Vallecano
- AEK won in nine of the last 12 home matches
- AEK conceded only two goals in the previous four games at Allwyn Arena
- Rayo Vallecano won only once in the last eight road matches
- Rayo Vallecano scored six goals in the previous eight games away from home
Main prediction -
to win
Best Odds:
22bet
2.11
vs standings in Europa Conference League
| League Stage | P | W | D | L |
G - A
|
GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strasbourg | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 - 5 | +6 | 16 |
| 2 | Raków Częstochowa | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 - 2 | +7 | 14 |
| 3 | AEK Athens | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 - 7 | +7 | 13 |
| 4 | Sparta Praha | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 - 3 | +7 | 13 |
| 5 | Rayo Vallecano | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 - 7 | +6 | 13 |
| 6 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 - 5 | +5 | 13 |
| 7 | FSV Mainz 05 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 - 3 | +4 | 13 |
| 8 | AEK Larnaca | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 - 1 | +6 | 12 |
| 9 | Lausanne Sport | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 - 3 | +3 | 11 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 - 6 | +5 | 10 |
| 11 | Lech Poznań | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 - 8 | +4 | 10 |
| 12 | Samsunspor | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 - 6 | +4 | 10 |
| 13 | Celje | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 - 7 | +1 | 10 |
| 14 | AZ | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 - 7 | 0 | 10 |
| 15 | Fiorentina | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 - 5 | +3 | 9 |
| 16 | Rijeka | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 - 2 | +3 | 9 |
| 17 | Jagiellonia Białystok | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 - 4 | +1 | 9 |
| 18 | Omonia Nicosia | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 - 4 | +1 | 8 |
| 19 | Noah | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 - 7 | -1 | 8 |
| 20 | Drita | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 - 8 | -4 | 8 |
| 21 | KuPS | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 - 5 | +1 | 7 |
| 22 | Skendija 79 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 - 5 | -1 | 7 |
| 23 | Zrinjski | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 - 10 | -2 | 7 |
| 24 | Sigma Olomouc | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 - 9 | -2 | 7 |
| 25 | Universitatea Craiova | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 - 8 | -2 | 7 |
| 26 | Lincoln Red Imps | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 - 15 | -8 | 7 |
| 27 | Dynamo Kyiv | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 - 9 | 0 | 6 |
| 28 | Legia Warszawa | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 - 8 | 0 | 6 |
| 29 | Slovan Bratislava | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 - 9 | -4 | 6 |
| 30 | Breidablik | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 - 11 | -5 | 5 |
| 31 | Shamrock Rovers | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 - 13 | -6 | 4 |
| 32 | Häcken | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 - 8 | -3 | 3 |
| 33 | Hamrun Spartans | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 - 11 | -7 | 3 |
| 34 | Shelbourne | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 - 7 | -7 | 2 |
| 35 | Aberdeen | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 - 14 | -11 | 2 |
| 36 | SK Rapid | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 - 14 | -11 | 1 |