Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano prediction 31.08.2026 | La Liga
FC Barcelona
Kick off:
Date:
Rayo Vallecano
1
1.19
X
8.70
2
17.00
Contents
- Competition: La Liga
- Date: Monday, 31st August, 2026
- Kickoff: 20:30 UK / 21:30 CEST
- Venue: Camp Nou (Barcelona)
The last game of the third La Liga round will see the reigning champs, Barcelona, welcome Rayo Vallecano. The champs are coming to the match after winning their first two matches against Elche and Athletic Bilbao with a combined goal difference of 7:0. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano started the season poorly, winning just one point in the first two rounds against Sevilla and Alaves.
Let's break down the game and find the best possible bet for this La Liga tie.
FC Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
FC Barcelona
1 : 0
Rayo Vallecano
La Liga
-
Rayo Vallecano
1 : 1
FC Barcelona
La Liga
-
FC Barcelona
1 : 0
Rayo Vallecano
La Liga
-
Rayo Vallecano
1 : 2
FC Barcelona
La Liga
-
FC Barcelona
3 : 0
Rayo Vallecano
La Liga
-
Rayo Vallecano
1 : 1
FC Barcelona
La Liga
Last season, these teams met twice. Barcelona won their home game 1:0, while the second game finished as a 1:1 draw. Both games were super-close, with Rayo surprising many football experts with their performances. Looking further back, over the past ten h2h games, Barcelona won four times, while Rayo Vallecano won three times.
When it comes to the number of goals, three out of the last ten h2h games ended with three or more goals, while both teams scored in four of those ten h2h games.
Barcelona team overview
Barcelona managed to win the 29th La Liga title last season. The Catalan team did great in La Liga, leaving Real Madrid eight points behind. However, Atletico Madrid pretty much ruined the season in the cup competitions, eliminating them from the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Over the summer, the club did well, adding World Cup Golden Ball winner Rodri and Anthony Gordon, among others. We believe they have improved the squad and, so far, have looked very good. The first two wins over Elche and Athletic Bilbao have been super impressive, and it is fair to expect they will continue in that manner.
The team should have no new absences, but the players who missed the previous game(s) should remain sidelined with their injuries - Frenkie de Jong, Roony Bardghji, and Gavi. Meanwhile, Hector Fort and Marc Casado shouldn't be in the squad for the upcoming game because they are expected to leave the club soon.
Last matches of FC Barcelona
-
FC Barcelona
2 : 0
Athletic Bilbao
La Liga
-
Elche
0 : 5
FC Barcelona
La Liga
-
FC Barcelona
2 : 1
Al Ahly SC
Trofeo Joan Gamper
-
Basel
2 : 5
FC Barcelona
Club Friendlies 1
-
FC Barcelona
1 : 0
Nottingham Forest
Club Friendlies 1
FC Barcelona lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Joan García
Defenders
-
24
Eric García
-
5
Pau Cubarsí
-
18
Gerard Martín
-
12
Xavi Espart
Midfielders
-
8
Pedri
-
16
Rodri
-
7
Fermín López
Forwards
-
10
Lamine Yamal
-
11
Raphinha
-
17
Anthony Gordon
Rayo Vallecano team overview
Rayo Vallecano came into this season after two great ones when they finished 8th with 50 and 52 points. Last season, they even reached the Conference League Finals, but lost to Crystal Palace. The goal for this season is to try and grab a top-half finish, and maybe even secure a return to Europe. Many football pundits suggested that not playing in Europe should be a good thing for them due to a fairly small rotation.
Unfortunately, the start to the season hasn't been great, as they won one point in the first two games and will now face last season's champions. That could potentially be a horrendous start for Los Franjirrojos.
In the previous game against Alaves, Rayo's first-choice goalkeeper, Augusto Batalla, and Isi Palazon both sustained injuries and will likely miss the upcoming game. Additionally, Luiz Felipe and Marash Kumbulla should remain sidelined with their injuries.
Last matches of Rayo Vallecano
-
Rayo Vallecano
1 : 1
Alaves
La Liga
-
Sevilla
2 : 1
Rayo Vallecano
La Liga
-
Ipswich Town
3 : 0
Rayo Vallecano
Club Friendlies 3
-
Charleroi
2 : 3
Rayo Vallecano
Club Friendlies 3
-
Feyenoord
1 : 1
Rayo Vallecano
Club Friendlies 4
Rayo Vallecano lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Dani Cárdenas
Defenders
-
2
Andrei Rațiu
-
22
Pelayo Fernández
-
24
Florian Lejeune
-
33
Jozhua Vertrouwd
Midfielders
-
17
Unai López
-
6
Pathé Ciss
-
11
Randy Nteka
Forwards
-
19
Jorge de Frutos
-
21
Fran Pérez
-
10
Sergio Camello
Prediction
While we believe Barcelona are more than capable of scoring a few goals, we do not think the same for Rayo Vallecano. Los Franjirrojos scored just one goal per game against Aalves and Sevilla. So, it seems that scoring a goal against Barcelona, which just had two clean sheets, seems very unlikely.
Meanwhile, Barcelona looked awesome, so a BTTS - NO bet seems a lot better than some kind of an under bet in this situation. On defense, Barcelona allowed only 0.7 and 0.25 xG, and it is fair to expect another clean sheet. Moreover, last season, Barcelona had a clean sheet in 53% of their home La Liga games!
Additionally, we have seen at least one team failing to score in the last five Barcelona home h2h games against Rayo.
Considering all the above, a BTTS - NO bet seems like the best possible option for this La Liga tie.
3 Reasons why at least one team should fail to score
- Barcelona kept a clean sheet in the first two games
- Barcelona kept a clean sheet in 53% of their home La Liga games last season
- At least one team failed to score in the last five Barcelona home games
Main prediction FC Barcelona - Rayo Vallecano
Both Teams to Score - NO
Best Odds:
22bet
1.85
FC Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano standings in La Liga
| Regular Season | P | W | D | L |
G - A
|
GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético de Madrid | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 - 3 | +4 | 7 |
| 2 | Deportivo Alavés | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 - 1 | +4 | 7 |
| 3 | FC Barcelona | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 - 0 | +7 | 6 |
| 4 | Real Madrid | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 - 2 | +4 | 6 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 - 5 | +1 | 6 |
| 6 | Real Betis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 - 5 | -1 | 6 |
| 7 | Osasuna | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 - 1 | +1 | 4 |
| 8 | Levante | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 - 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Racing Santander | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 - 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Espanyol | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 - 4 | +1 | 3 |
| 11 | Getafe | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 - 3 | -2 | 3 |
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 - 6 | -3 | 3 |
| 13 | Deportivo A Coruña | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 - 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | Villarreal | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 - 5 | -1 | 2 |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 - 3 | -1 | 1 |
| 16 | Celta de Vigo | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 - 2 | -1 | 1 |
| 17 | Valencia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 - 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 18 | Málaga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 - 3 | -2 | 1 |
| 19 | Elche | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 - 9 | -6 | 1 |
| 20 | Athletic Club | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 - 5 | -4 | 0 |