Espanyol go up against Rayo Vallecano in the La Liga 2022-23 at the Cornella-EI Prat on August 19. The match will start at 11:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time). 

Espanyol drew 2-2 against Celta Vigo in their opening game this season. The hosts were trailing 2-0 for a major part of the game but Edu Exposito’s strike in the 72nd minute got the Budgerigars in the game. Espanyol’s new signing this season, Joselu’s last-minute equaliser saved the Budgerigars from a defeat in their very first game. Espanyol finished 14th in La Liga last season with 42 points in 38 games.

Rayo Vallecano finished 12th on the league table last season with 42 points and come into this game having played out a stalemate against Barcelona in their opening game this season. The Vallecanos crashed out of Copa del Rey after losing to Real Betis on a 3-2 aggregate.

Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano La Liga 2022-23 odds

Parimatch odds: Espanyol: 2.37, Rayo Vallecano: 3.30, Draw: 3.20

Betwinner odds: Espanyol: 2.32, Rayo Vallecano: 3.20, Draw: 3.22

Betway odds: Espanyol: 2.37, Rayo Vallecano: 3.25, Draw: 3.10

10CRIC odds: Espanyol: 2.34, Rayo Vallecano: 3.31, Draw: 3.21

Note: Odds are subject to change. Please visit betting sites to check and confirm the latest odds.

Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano head-to-head

Espanyol has won nine while Rayo Vallecano seven out of their last 20 games against each other; four games ended in a draw.

Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol 1-0 in their previous game against each other in La Liga. Sergio Guardiola was the goal scorer for the Vallecanos.

Espanyol’s last win against Rayo Vallecano was back in 2019 when the Budgerigars beat the visitors 2-1.

Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano squads La Liga 2022-23

Espanyol: Benjamin Lecomte (goalkeeper), Jan Garcia (goalkeeper), Brian Olivan, Leandro Cabrera, Sergi Gomez, Oscar Gil, Fernando Calero, Adria, Pedrosa, Aleix Vidal, Sergi Darder (captain), Vinicius Souza, Keidi Bare, Edu Exposito, Pol Lozano, Javi Puado, Nico Melamed, Martias Vargas, Adrian Embarba, Landry Dimata, Ruben Sanchez, Joselu. 

Rayo Vallecano: Stole Dimitrievski (goalkeeper), Diego Lopez (goalkeeper), Miguel Angel Morro (goalkeeper), Florian Lejuene, Estaben Saveljich, Santi Comesna, Fran Garcia, Alejandro Catena (captain), Mario Suarez, Ivan Balliu, Oscar Valentin, Randy Nteka, Unai Lopez, Pathe Ciss, Oscar Trejo, Bebe, Salvi Sanchez, Lass Bangoura, Alvaro Garcia, Isi Palazon, Radamel Falcao, Sergio Moreno, Andreas Martin.

Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano probable starting lineups

Espanyol: Benjamin Lecomte (goalkeeper), Brian Olivan, Leandro Cabrera, Sergi Gomez, Oscar Gil, Fernando Calero, Sergi Darder (captain), Vinicius Souza, Nico Melamed, Ruben Sanchez, Joselu.

Rayo Vallecano: Stole Dimitrievski (goalkeeper), Fran Garcia, Alejandro Catena (captain), Mario Suarez, Ivan Balliu, Unai Lopez, Pathe Ciss, Oscar Trejo, Alvaro Garcia, Isi Palazon, Radamel Falcao.

Espanyol top picks and players to watch vs Rayo Vallecano La Liga 2022-23 

Joselu: The 32-year-old was on the scoresheet in his first game for Espanyol in La Liga. Before moving to Budgerigars, Joselu scored 36 goals for Alaves across three seasons. The Spanish footballer also scored six goals for Newcastle during his time in the Premier League.

Sergi Darder: The midfielder scored three goals along with a total of nine assists for Espanyol in La Liga last season. Darder has scored 10 goals for Budgerigars across five seasons in the La Liga. The Espanyol captain has been an integral part of the team’s setup and will be the player to watch out for.

Rayo Vallecano top picks and players to watch vs Espanyol La Liga 2022-23

Radamel Falcao: The 36-year-old scored six goals in 22 games in La Liga last season. The Colombian footballer also scored a goal for his national side in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Before moving to Rayo Vallecano last season, Falcao scored 19 goals for Galatasaray across two seasons in the Super Lig.  

Alvaro Garcia: The Spanish footballer made a contribution of seven goals and four assists in 36 games last season. Garcia has scored a total of 11 goals for Rayo Vallecano in La Liga across 71 games.

Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano La Liga 2022-23 prediction

Espanyol have an edge going into the game against Rayo Vallecano as the Budgerigars have done well against the visitors in the recent past.

Rayo Vallecano have the edge in their matches against Espanyol and are likely to challenge the hosts throughout the game.