- Home form: Rayo are unbeaten in three home LaLiga 2026/2027 matches, winning two.
- Away form: Athletic Bilbao are also unbeaten in their last five, with three wins and two draws.
- Key player: Sergio Camello is in fine form for Rayo, scoring six of his team's last nine goals.
Control vs counter at Vallecas
Style clash
There's a little bit of a clash of styles here in the Spanish capital and that should lead to an open game of football when Rayo Vallecano take on Athletic Bilbao at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas on Saturday. Rayo are one of the more progressive clubs in Spain right now and like to control the ball.
Match outlook
They play a fast, flowing game with lots of movement off the ball and exploit space behind opposing defences. Athletic are more geared towards verticality and high intensity, they love to press and counter with their pace and power.
Vallecas should therefore be a good place to watch soccer this weekend as one of these teams will be able to get what they want.
Rayo can be a real threat on home turf
Rayo have been in mixed form with two wins, a draw and two defeats in their last five but at home in LaLiga 2026/2027 they've played in style, winning two and drawing one of their three matches.
Athletic have played two away league matches this term, winning one and losing one, but are yet to concede more than twice in a game on the road, conceding just twice in total. The Basque side have a slight advantage in the early match odds though, at 2.3, compared to Rayo at 2.95 and the draw at 3.35.
So, although Rayo are the underdog, they are definitely a threat in Madrid and that's why it might be better to side with the visitors for the win at 2.3.
Athletic are in better form
A home 0-0 draw against Deportivo Alaves and a 1-0 friendly away win at Real Sociedad have left Athletic Bilbao in good condition for this game with Edin Terzic's high-intensity style seeming to be working for them.
Rayo Vallecano are unbeaten in their last three at home but face a difficult task against Athletic, who have the same points but from one fewer game. Rayo are 12th with eight points from seven games, while Athletic are 10th with the same total.
The last meeting between these teams in LaLiga 2025/2026 at Vallecas finished all square at 1-1 and, while we're going with the Basque team to come through this time, the draw is still very much in the game.
Camello can make the difference
There is value in under 2.5 goals at 1.93, which is a big price for a game that could get tight, while both teams to score at 1.67 should also come in under that price.
- Sergio Camello is the main threat for Rayo and has seven LaLiga goals from his last seven appearances, six of which have come in his last 5 games and accounted for six of his side's total of nine goals across that sequence.
- Unai Lopez has been their creator, with three assists to his name during that time, but Rayo can be deadly when Camello is on form.
- Robert Navarro is Athletic's chief end-product provider, with two LaLiga goals from five games this season.
