Almeria v Rayo Vallecano

Almeria vs Rayo Vallecano Preview

Almeria will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last season's dangerously close brush with relegation this term as the hosts take on Rayo Vallecano at their Power Horse Stadium in this curtain-raiser to the new Spanish top flight season on Friday evening.

Almeria finished just one league position and a mere point above the relegation zone at the end of last season's La Liga campaign but the fact that Almeria picked up what proved to be vital points in the shape of draws with Real Valladolid and Espanyol ultimately proved to be enough to save them from the drop down to La Liga 2.

Although Almeria managed to capture just four league wins from their final 15 matches of last season's run-in, the hosts did achieve the accolade of being the only team that finished in the lower half of the La Liga table to register double-figures in the Win column, as Almeria chalked up 10 wins on home soil throughout the season.

The hosts also ended last season with a three-match unbeaten run at their Power Horse Stadium, winning two of the three games by way of victories against Elche and Mallorca.

Rayo Vallecano finished in a comfortable mid-table position at the end of last season's La Liga campaign as the visitors ended up in 11th place and just four points adrift of seventh-placed Osasuna who grabbed the last of the European spots in the domestic top flight.

However, Rayo Vallecano will be keen to address what turned out to be a disappointing end to their previous campaign this time around as the visitors lost four of their final five games of last term, slipping to defeats against Real Betis, Espanyol, Real Madrid and Mallorca.

With just four wins from their last 18 matches of the La Liga season, Rayo Vallecano should be avoided if thinking about delving into the straight win markets especially away from home as the visitors failed to win any of their last nine outings on the road in La Liga, which includes slipping to no fewer than seven defeats along the way.

Almeria v Rayo Vallecano Verdict

Despite last season's lowly finish in the La Liga table, Almeria did pick up a number of home wins and the hosts will once again rely upon home form to steer them to safety again this season no doubt.

We perhaps shouldn't expect too many goals though in this upcoming opening fixture of the La Liga season as eight out of the previous 10 meetings between Almeria and Rayo Vallecano have resulted in Under 2.5 goals, and this Friday night's clash at the Power Horse Stadium may be no exception with Almeria maybe sneaking a narrow 1-0 victory.

Therefore, our main bet will be Under 2.5 goals @ 1.90

Other side bets worth considering:

Almeria win @ 2.15

Correct score: Almeria 1-0 @ 9.00