Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis Prediction: Back Antony to keep his high Shots/90 ratio up

| Monday 15th December 2025, 8:57am

Monday 15th December 2025, 8:57am

We head this gameweek in La Liga with an interesting tie as low-scoring Rayo Vallecano face the fifth-highest scorers in the league, Real Betis. Premier Sports 1 will broadcast this game in Live TV in the UK, with kick-off set for 20:00.

Our La Liga Betting correspondent Mark Sochon has got the assignment for this one and take us through the Team News, Match Odds and his two Best Bets for the match. Let's check out his Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis Predictions here on Betfred Insights...

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis Betting Tips

Draw or Real Betis & Rayo Vallecano to score under 1.5 goals @ 5/6
Real Betis to score over 0.5 goals & Antony 3+ shots @ 6/5 via Bet Builder

*odds correct at time of publication

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Monday night football in La Liga this week comes from the Estadio de Vallecas where Real Betis provide the opposition. The visitors are making another strong push for European qualification under Manuel Pellegrini.

Rayo Vallecano give even the very best teams a run for their money on home soil. They've already deservedly taken points off Real Madrid and Barcelona in front of their own fans this term.

They have struggled in recent weeks in La Liga, though. Iñigo Pérez's side are winless in five league outings, with just one goal scored across those matches. They created plenty of opportunities, but converted only one of their 62 shots across that period.

That just about sums up Rayo's main weakness. They've consistently failed to properly address problems in the striker department in recent transfer windows. Their latest bid to fix that issue came with the summer purchase of Alemão, but the 27-year-old striker has only scored once in 11 appearances in the Spanish top flight so far.

The Madrid club headed into this matchday in mid-table, but they are now only two points above the relegation zone as a result of Girona's victory on Friday. That won't set the alarm bells ringing just yet, as the bottom half of the table is incredibly congested, but it wouldn't have escaped the attention of Pérez.

The Rayo boss is also having to manage his squad, with his team juggling various cup commitments. They were 2-1 winners in Poland against Jagiellonia Białystok last Thursday, and host FC Drita in their final match of the opening phase of the Conference League later this week.

Real Betis are also playing European football, and they were 3-1 winners in Croatia against Dinamo Zagreb last week. They're currently looking good for a top-eight finish in the Europa League, while Los Verdiblancos are also going well in La Liga.

The Andalusians have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, although they did succumb to a 5-3 home defeat against Barcelona in their last league outing. That was just a third defeat in 23 competitive fixtures this season for Pellegrini's team.

The 72-year-old Chilean has done a brilliant job at this club since taking charge in 2020. Despite a high player turnover throughout his reign, Betis have remained competitive in the top half of La Liga. He has adapted well to the injury problems of playmaker Isco this term, with Pablo Fornals and Antony stepping up to spearhead their attacking threat.

With Villarreal currently keeping pace with the usual "big three", Betis may still find themselves competing for Europa League qualification, rather than a place in the Champions League. They'll also be targeting the cups, with a squad that appears to have most bases covered.

Team News:

Rayo Vallecano's chances are hampered by a suspension for midfielder Unai López. He was sent off late in a 1-0 defeat at Espanyol on matchday 15.

The injuries are also starting to pile up for a Rayo side that has played more matches than any other Spanish top-flight club so far this season. They have doubts over Pedro Díaz, Óscar Trejo, Alemão, Randy Nteka and Abdul Mumin heading into the game.

As for Betis, they can feel slightly aggrieved that this match takes place on the very day players called up for the Africa Cup of Nations become unavailable for their clubs. That means regulars Ez Abde and Sofyan Amrabat will play no part in Madrid, while back-up striker Cédric Bakambu has also joined up with his national team.

Isco, Héctor Bellerín and Junior Firpo are also missing due to their respective injury problems. The likes of Fornals and Cucho Hernández should return after they were rested in the Europa League last week.

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis Predicted Lineups

Rayo Vallecano: Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarria, Valentin, Ciss, De Frutos, Palazon, Garcia, Camello
Real Betis: Valles, Ruibal, Barta, Natan, Gomez, Deossa, Roca, Antony, Fornals, Riquelme, Cucho

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis Odds

There's little to choose between the sides in the Match Result market, with Rayo Vallecano the slight favourites to win at 8/5, while Real Betis are on offer at 7/4. You can back the Draw at 9/4.

If you're expecting a few goals, Both teams to score is priced at 4/6. That bet has landed in six of the last seven Betis games. The visitors are also on offer at 6/4 to score over 1.5 goals.

However, Rayo's recent league fixtures have been much lower scoring, with a total of just three goals in their last four games. If you see that trend continuing, you can back Under 2.5 goals at 10/11, while Under 1.5 goals is priced at 5/2.

Cucho looks sure to lead the line for the visitors again. He's on offer at 5/1 to score first, while you can back the Colombian to score anytime at 9/5. Antony is available at 2/1 to get on the scoresheet.

Jorge de Frutos is Rayo's top scorer in La Liga this term with four goals. The 28-year-old is priced at 9/2 to score first, while he's on offer at 8/5 as an anytime goalscorer bet.

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis Stats

Antony (3.85) averages omre shots/90 than any player not wearing a Real Madrid or Barcelona shirt.
Rayo (0.06) have the fourth-worst record for goals/shot in La Liga.
At 19.4 yards out - Rayo have the second-longest average shot from goal in La Liga.

Bet 1 - Draw or Real Betis & Rayo Vallecano to score under 1.5 goals @ 5/6

The value here looks to lie with the visitors, at least in the Double Chance market. Pellegrini has made Betis tough to beat this season, with Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Athletic Club the only teams to have got the better of them. All of those defeats came at home, with the Andalusians unbeaten in 12 competitive away games this term.

That doesn't bode well for Rayo Vallecano's chance of getting back to winning ways here. The hosts are strong in most aspects of the game, but all too often things go wrong in the final third. They've scored more than once on only three occasions in La Liga.

Given that, I'm using the Bet Builder to back Draw or Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano to score under 1.5 goals at 5/6.

Bet 2 - Real Betis to score over 0.5 goals & Antony 3+ shots @ 6/5

By contrast, Betis very rarely fail to find the back of the net at least once. They've only failed to score on two occasions in all competitions this term, and have netted in all of their away league games.

Antony has been central to their goal threat. There were concerns that with less of a point to prove, the Brazilian's level may drop after he finally completed a permanent switch to Betis late in the summer window, after a successful loan spell earlier in the year. However, the ex-Man United winger has been exceptional again.

The 25-year-old has had at least three attempts in each of his last six appearances in La Liga. Given that, I'm backing Real Betis to score over 0.5 goals and Antony 3+ shots at 6/5.

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Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

Points Staked: 122
Points Returned: 116.90
P/L: -5.1

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...