Atletico Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano Prediction: Atleti can edge cagey affair

The La Liga title may be beyond them but Atletico Madrid are in prime position to land a top-four berth this season and they will look to keep their winning run going against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.

Atleti will face Real Madrid in La Liga on Sunday and will be eager to get points on the board ahead of the Madrid derby, while Vallecano will be aiming to move back into the top half.

Team news

Atletico Madrid will once again be without Cesar Azpilicueta and Thomas Lemar, while Jose Gimenez is set to be sidelined for a few weeks after coming off against Valencia with a muscle problem.

Diego Mendez is injured and Pathe Ciss and Bebe are unavailable due to international duty for Rayo Vallecano, who welcome back Alvaro Garcia after a one-match ban.

Match Odds

Atletico Madrid are strongly fancied at 4/9 to win this match with Rayo Vallecano priced at 6/1 to spring a surprise. The draw, meanwhile, is 10/3.

In terms of goals, over 2.5 goals is priced at 4/5, while both teams to score is 10/11.

Alvaro Morata leads the way in the goalscorer betting at 21/20 to net at anytime.

Atletico Madrid to win to nil @ 13/10

In pursuit of a Champions League spot in La Liga, Atletico Madrid have made a strong start to 2024 and can continue their purple patch with a win over Rayo Vallecano.

Atleti have won five of their last six matches in all competitions, having won each of their last three without conceding against Granada, Sevilla and Valencia.

They have not been as defensively resilient as in previous seasons but they have still shipped only 23 goals in 21 fixtures in La Liga and they are worth a bet to win to nil against Vallecano.

Rayo Vallecano are in the mid-table positions in Spain's top flight and can be a tough nut to crack, having conceded fewer league goals than Barcelona this season.

But as a consequence, they have been pretty underwhelming going forwards, having drawn blanks in each of their last two fixtures against Las Palmas and Real Sociedad.

Goals could again be at a premium for them at the Wanda Metropolitano, where they could be shut out by Los Rojiblancos.

Under 2.5 goals @ 10/11

With a third Madrid derby of 2024 looming, Atletico Madrid could be forgiven for not putting their foot down in this one and if they establish an early lead, they may be inclined to simply defend it.

That points to a low-scoring game and at 10/11, under 2.5 goals could be another good bet.

It has clicked in each of Atletico Madrid's last three fixtures, which have produced a combined four goals, while eight of Rayo Vallecano's last nine matches have also featured under 2.5 goals.

Football betting tips, from Betfred Insights.