Sevilla vs Rayo VallecanoPrediction, probable lineups, recent form & season stats

LaLiga returns at the Sanchez Pizjuan with two sides who struggled to score last year. Sevilla produced 0.9 goals a game at home while conceding 1.1, blanked in 35% of those matches and keeping a clean sheet in only 11% of them. Rayo Vallecano carry almost identical numbers away from Madrid: 0.9 goals scored a trip, 1.4 conceded and 31% of those games without a goal. A Sevilla side more solid at home than the average suggests Their last six home games describe a better run than the numbers imply: 0-1 with Real Madrid, 2-1 against Espanyol, 1-0 against Real Sociedad, 2-1 against Atletico Madrid, 0-2 with Valencia and 1-1 with Rayo themselves. Four positive results in six, with heavy wins over two of the top sides. A head-to-head without clear winners The six previous meetings finished 1-1, 0-1, 1-1, 1-0, 1-2 and 2-2. Three times in six the game ended level and neither side has ever won twice in a row. This has always been decided by the finest margins. The verdict: the call lands if Sevilla win or draw. At home they take 1.4 points a game against Rayo's 1.0 on the road, and they have lost only twice in the six recent meetings. The hosts' modest scoring output is what weighs on the other side. I read it around 69%. My take: an even, low-scoring fixture, with Sevilla rarely leaving empty-handed at home.