Almeria vs Rayo Vallecano predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups ahead of a really important game for the struggling hosts.
| Date | Saturday 8th October 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 14:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Power Horse Stadium |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Almeria vs Rayo Vallecano Preview
Saturday’s game between Almeria and Rayo Vallecano is a very important one for the home team and their under pressure coach Rubi. After some bright early displays, Almeria have been brought down to earth in recent weeks with a series of defeats which raise serious questions about their ability to compete at this level.
It’s four losses in a row without scoring for Rubi’ side. They’ve not scored since Umar Sadiq left the club on transfer deadline day and their demise since a 2-1 victory over Sevilla in his final game shows just how quickly things can change in football. Rubi has gone from a coach in a really strong position having delivered the Segunda Division title last term, to one who must feel as though he is now fighting for his job.
They should be more competitive in this game than they were in Bilbao against Athletic last Friday but that wouldn’t be hard. They were blown away by the Basques losing 4-0 and Rubi may look to bring some experience into what is a very young team here with the likes of Adri Embarba and Gonzalo Melero among their options.
As for Rayo Vallecano, they have one of the teams in LaLiga with the fewest number of selection doubts as it feels like Andoni Iraola has a pretty clear idea what his best eleven is. He has close to a fully fit squad to choose from at the moment too which helps when it comes to building continuity and it’s unlikely we’ll see many changes from the team that claimed a dramatic late win on Monday night.
Rayo had the better of the game against rock bottom Elche but were being held as the game headed into Second Half Stoppage Time. For a few seconds, it looked like they were about to fall behind as Tete Morente closed in on goal but the Elche man could only scuff his shot wide. Rayo went up the other end almost immediately and Unai Lopez struck a brilliant 95th minute winner to the delight of everyone in Vallecas.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Almeria
| INJURED | Nieto, Martos, Milovanovic, Centelles, Chumi, Rojas |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Fernando – Akieme, Babic, Ely, Pozo – Melero, Eguaras, Robertone – Vinicius, Ramazani, Embarba (4-3-3)
Coach: Rubi
Rayo
| INJURED | Andres Martin |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Dimitrievski – Garcia, Catena, Lejeune, Balliu – Comesana, Valentin – Alvaro Garcia, Trejo, Isi – Camello (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Andoni Iraola
Score Prediction: Almeria 1-1 Rayo Vallecano
Rayo will approach this game with bags of confidence but they don’t always convince away to the weaker teams. It’s a decent fixture for Almeria to have as they look for some kind of momentum shift and bringing a few fresh faces into the team may produce a better performance. They look capable of at least stopping the rot with a draw.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga previews and predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
