Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Conference League match.
Both teams started their Conference League campaign solidly and currently sit inside the playoff zone. Rayo Vallecano occupy ninth place in the overall table, while Häcken are 19th. For the Swedish side, this home fixture could prove crucial in the fight to climb higher.
Häcken
In the opening round, Häcken drew 0:0 away to Shelbourne. Despite the scoreline, the Swedish champions looked more threatening in attack, producing an expected goals tally of 0.94 against the Irish side’s 0.32. That result extended their unbeaten run to four matches (two wins and two draws) in all competitions, with the team conceding no more than once in any of those games.
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano began the group stage with a comfortable 2:0 win against Shkëndija, which kicked off a series of three consecutive clean sheets. In La Liga, back-to-back victories over Real Sociedad and Levante helped the Madrid club move from 16th to 11th place.
Häcken vs Rayo Vallecano Prediction
However, Rayo Vallecano’s away record in European competition is less convincing. The only away match in the Conference League, during the play-off round, brought a narrow 1:0 win over Belarusian side Neman Grodno. The Swedish club are capable of holding their own and keeping the score close.
