Atletico Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano 1/2/22 LaLiga Soccer Pick, Predictions, and Odds

Atletico Madrid is welcoming Rayo Vallecano to Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in round 19 of the Spanish LaLiga. Atletico has been very inconsistent so far this season, and they still are, which is why they won’t defend the title this season. Rayo has been the best surprise in LaLiga this season, they are scoring a lot of goals, and they are keeping their defense solid.

Atletico Madrid is now on a 3-game losing streak while losing 4 of their last 5 games. The only win Atletico has got lately was against Porto in the Champions League, and that was a win that got them through to the next stage. Atletico’s defense is their biggest problem right now, I mean the lack of defense, and that has cost them a lot already this season. with 29 points, 29 scored goals, and 22 conceded goals, Atletico Madrid is in 5^th place in the standings, and they are now 17 points away from the top. Suarez is still the leading goalscorer for Atletico with 7 goals, while Correa added 4 goals and 4 assists. Savic, Griezmann, and Llorente are all injured for Atletico Madrid. I’m hopeful that this Christmas break was enough for Atletico to get the hang of their defense, but until I see it, I don’t believe it.

Rayo Vallecano has been absolutely brilliant so far this season, they have 4 wins in their last 5 games, while they have lost only 1 of their last 7 games. Thanks to their great offense and even better defense, Rayo is now in 4^th place in the standings, and I know there are still a lot of games left, but I bet Rayo is already dreaming of the Champions League. Rayo’s defense is the third-best in the league as of right now with only 18 conceded goals, while their offense has been quite solid with 26 scored goals. Before the season started, I didn’t even know that Falcao is playing for Rayo Vallecano, but now he is their leading goalscorer with 5 goals alongside Garcia with also 5 goals. Trejo has added 8 assists. I love the work Rayo Vallecano is putting into their team, I love that they never give up, I love that they aren’t oriented solely on defense, and I really hope they can keep this going for a while and to end the season on at least 5^th place and the Europa League.

It’s very hard to rely on Atletico Madrid this season, and I won’t do it here. Rayo has been outstanding, they deserve a look here, but we can’t know for sure if this break has helped Atletico or not. I’m sticking to goals in this one.