Atletico Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano

September 15, 2012
By: John Hansen

Fresh from the UEFA Super Cup victory over Chelsea, Atletico Madrid hope to continue the impressive run of results and edge closer to the top 4 place in La Liga. It is Rayo Vallecano who occupy the final Champions League berth after three rounds, having taken 7 points so far, but there is a reason why the hosts are odds-on favourites for the win.

How’s that for a high-quality performance!

Atletico Madrid have been making steady progress ever since Diego Simeone took over the reigns from Gregorio Manzano and los Colchoneros are on the road to become a genuine world-class side. The Europa League trophy earned them the right to fight for the UEFA Super Cup title with Champions League winners Chelsea, with the impressive showing in Monaco and a 4-1 win over one of world’s best sides giving Atletico a real star status. The comfortable victory over the Blues followed the 4-0 La Liga win over very good Athletic Bilbao side, and after scoring eight goals past two high-quality defences, los Colchoneros can be trusted to do something similar against Rayo Vallecano as well. The team had more than enough time to prepare for this match after their clash with Real Betis was postponed, and with all star players ready to feature, this should be another comfortable win for Diego Simeone’s team.

Adrian Lopez has resumed training after recovering from injury, while Cata Diaz should also be available after being sidelined through illness.

Amazing start for Rayo

Rayo Vallecano impressed everyone with their start to the previous La Liga campaign, but they almost ended up getting relegated after the dismal finish to the season. Once again, the team from Madrid started the new campaign in excellent manner, taking 7 points from first 3 games, but we are yet to see if they can keep their performances at a high level. Nobody can deny that Rayo have achieved some great results so far, but having beaten two bottom table sides and having shared spoils with Sevilla at home, the team have yet to prove they can mix it up with the best of them. The likes of Falcao, Turan, Kone and Rodriguez should prove a handful for any defence in the world, and Rayo’s back line clearly don’t look capable of stopping these high-profile players from scoring. In all fairness, los Franjirrojos will find it hard to avoid the destiny of Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea.

Javi Fuego returns from an ankle problem, meaning boss Paco Jemez should have fully fit squad to choose from.

Verdict

Atletico Madrid are scoring goals for fun at the moment and after bagging four against both Athletic Bilbao and Chelsea, they are expected to continue the trend in the clash with Rayo Vallecano. The team from Madrid may have started the season well, but that won’t mean much when they face one of the most in-form sides in Europe.

Our prediction: Atletico Madrid with -1 European handicap

Odds: 2.00 (1/1)

Bookmaker: Stan James

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