Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid Predictions

• Rayo have lost 10 of their last 12 clashes with Atletico
• The visitors have conceded in seven of their last eight league wins
• Atleti won 22 of their 30 clashes with teams outside the top six last season

Tricky return for Rayo

Rayo Vallecano have won two from two so far without yet playing at home, so they’ve made an excellent start to the new season. However, their return home is a tricky one, as they meet an Atletico Madrid side who are desperate to put themselves in the frame for the title.

Rayo have lost 10 of their last 12 meetings with Atletico (D2) and they haven’t won their opening three games of a La Liga season since 1999. Things are against the hosts here, especially as they’ve been too open at the back despite their two clean sheets.

Atletico to prove too strong

Only Almeria (35) and Cadiz (34) have faced more shots in LaLiga this season than Rayo Vallecano (33). That doesn’t bode well, with Diego Simeone encouraging his side to play a more adventurous style of late.

The visitors have kept one clean sheet across their last eight La Liga wins, a run which started with April’s 2-1 victory at Rayo. Last term the visitors won 22 of 30 games against sides placed sixth or below and they should secure all three points in this trip.

However, Rayo’s good start does count for something and it’s worth backing the hosts to find the net in Monday night’s encounter.