Vallecano – Atl Madrid

Monday night football in Spain – Rayo Vallecano hosts Atletico Madrid in the last match of the first round.

Rayo Vallecano looked destined for relegation in first part of last season but was rejuvenated in 2014 and in the end had no problems with the drop. Rayo plays nice attacking football no matter the opponent and won’t park the bus today. They have a decent team but made a lot of moves in the squad this summer and it is questionable if they will be able to be disciplined, cohesive and organized right from the first match. Amaya misses the game for Rayo.

Rayo Vallecano lineup: Alvarez – Tito, Castro, Ba, Nacho – Baena, Trashorras – Aquino, Bueno, Kakuta – Pereira

Bet with the best odds and highest limits at Pinnacle.

Atletico lost guys like Courtois, Luis, Villa and Costa in the summer but with the signings of Mandzukic and Griezmann they look as good as last season … maybe even better in offense. Atletico played marvelous football in the SuperCup double against Real and they will be buoyed by winning it after the 1-0 success at home; despite the odds being in Real’s favor. A deserving trophy for Atletico but knowing Simeone he made sure they are 100% focused for the La Liga opener … losing any points will be very bad for the Champions if they want to keep up with Real and Barca. Full squad available for Atleti.

Atletico Madrid lineup: Moya – Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, Siqueira – Gabi, Tiago – Garcia, Koke, Griezmann – Mandzukic

Atletico has no time for relaxation after the Supercup and they know it. Don’t underestimate Rayo, they will put up a fight, but Atletico looks just too good right now and are in great form with great morale. In these circumstances I can’t see how Atletico can lose points against a much inferior opponent. Considering Rayo likes to play attacking football, I think Atletico can cover a 1 goal handicap with a little bit of chance. The 1,5 line is risky but if we go with the asian, moneyback seems close to being the worst case scenario for this bet. My tip is Atletico to win and cover the -1 asian handicap. Correct score prediction: Rayo Vallecano – Atletico Madrid 1-3.

Pick: Atletico Madrid (-1 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.97 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 8.73
Event date: 25 August