Barcelona – Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona should beat Rayo Vallecano at home already in the first half

Barcelona will play at home against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday 24 April. It is a rescheduled match still from the 21st round of La Liga. The Catalans will now level up against their rivals. From a tournament point of view, Barcelona have the opportunity to practically secure a place in the top four. At the moment, Xavi's side are six points clear of fifth place. Barcelona broke their losing streak against Real Sociedad. The Catalans played in economy mode. Only one shot on target was enough to secure victory. Obameyang scored his ninth goal in eleven games for the club. Barcelona currently have no global problems with their squad. Xavi's squad for every match is almost identical. In the last fifteen rounds, Barcelona are even ahead of Real Madrid. Only one defeat. There should also be no problem with motivation. Barcelona are in debt to their fans after two games against Eintracht and Cadiz. Rayo Vallecano are the worst club in La Liga in 2022. "The Bees only won their first match in midweek. Rayo managed to pick up three points against Espanyol in a close encounter. Prior to that, there had been no wins since December. The team is saved by a successful start to the season in La Liga. The points reserve allows them to not feel the global pressure from the underdogs. Rayo need to win one match out of six to guarantee their survival in the Spanish championship. A task well within their grasp. Rayo play very poorly away. The team has scored only eleven goals in sixteen meetings. There have been eleven defeats. Rayo have an obvious trend for total less. "The Bees almost always play from defence, not allowing their opponents to create much. The main difficulty for Rayo is in attack. The team is not strong on the counterattack and very rarely have chances in positional attacks. In the last ten meetings Rayo have not registered a single game on the total over three, and only two games on the total over 2.5. At the Camp Nou, we are looking at an everyday win for the favourites. Rayo are currently closer to the teams from Segunda in terms of their level of play. A goal from the Bees is unlikely, despite all of Barcelona's problems. The Catalans, on the other hand, can get back at the outsider for their recent setbacks. The club can make a winning run in the first half. Barcelona can start brightly, and turn the second half into a formality. That's when the first half is more productive than the second. The absence of their two main defenders adds to Rayo's difficulties. Saveljic and Balju are both out.