La Liga: Rayo Vallecano Vs Osasuna – Match preview

Some unwanted history could now be achieved here, as another loss without reply would see Rayo complete a chain of three successive La Liga defeats ‘to nil’ for the first time since April/May 2003.

Rayo Vallecano

Rayo Vallecano are still chasing an unexpected top-six finish, but a 2-0 defeat at Celta Vigo last Saturday made it just one point from 12 available so far in 2022. Some unwanted history could now be achieved here, as another loss without reply would see Rayo complete a chain of three successive La Liga defeats ‘to nil’ for the first time since April/May 2003. The clues to avoiding that may lie in their strong league form between the end of the November international break and Christmas. That’s a period of time where Rayo developed a reputation for starting well, with four of their six goals scored across those wins arriving inside the opening 30 minutes.

Osasuna

With Osasuna solidly holding title-chasing Sevilla to a 0-0 draw hours after Rayo’s loss at Celta, the visitors are chasing a ‘hat-trick’ of their own, rather than avoiding one. Another clean sheet would give them their first run of three straight La Liga shutouts since last spring, and add to the one they got on their last visit to the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas September 2017). All of Osasuna’s previous seven La Liga road trips have seen at least one team fail to score, and curiously, the same characteristic applies to each of the Rojillos’ last six La Liga away games played in the opening quarter of any calendar year. In a trend going back to 2020, meanwhile, their last four top-flight away days during the month of February have ended 1-0.

Sergi Guardiola has opened the scoring inside 20 minutes in each of Rayo’s last two La Liga home games to be won by 2 goals. In a similar fashion, both of Osasuna’s prior handicap-beating La Liga away wins recorded this season have seen David Garcia net first. Four of Rayo’s previous six La Liga home games lost ‘to nil’ have seen them trail at half-time.