Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano time, TV channel, live stream, lineups, and betting odds for La Liga match
Barcelona open their La Liga season when they host midfielder Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
The Blaugrana will start the campaign with four of their five precious summer acquisitions after successfully registering them just a day before the opening game. To pull it off, Barcelona needed another financial lever to get their La Liga books in shape and clear the way for Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie to play against Rayo. Jules Kounde’s registration is pending and he won’t be there for the time being.
The new faces will give Barcelona a much better chance of getting revenge against a Rayo Vallecano side who clinched the league double with two 1-0 wins over Barca last season. Rayo somehow managed to shut down an attacking streak with Sergio Aguero in one game and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the other. Rayo’s win at the Camp Nou in April was her only win in the last four months of the season.
The club from Madrid’s Vallecas section finished 12th in the table despite the post-season slip, which they hope won’t lead to similar struggles in the upcoming 2022/23 league season.
MORE: Full rundown of the latest Barcelona transfer news for the 2022 summer window
Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano TV channel, live stream
United Kingdom | United States of America | Canada | Australia | |
date | Sat, August 13th | Sat, August 13th | Sat, August 13th | Sun, August 14th |
time | 20:00 CET | 15:00 CET | 15:00 CET | 05:00 CET |
TV channel | first sport 1, LaLiga TV |
ABC, ESPN deported | — | — |
stream | Prime Player HD, Amazon Prime Video |
fuboTV, ESPN+ | TSN | Opus Sport |
UNITED KINGDOM: The Camp Nou game can be seen in the UK on Premier Sports 1 or LaLiga TV. In addition to being a TV channel, LaLiga TV also streams on Amazon Prime Video in the region.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Saturday’s game between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano will be televised in the US on ABC (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish), both of which can be streamed on fuboTV.
Canada: The game will be streamed by La Liga affiliate TSN in Canada.
Australia: All La Liga matches can be streamed on Optus Sport in Australia.
MORE: How Barcelona can still sign players despite financial woes
🔥 Best goals of the preseason! Starting with number 5️⃣…
This turn and end through @Memphis We all liked it 🤯 pic.twitter.com/VCBfOX2H0O
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 10, 2022
Expected line-ups between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano
Star sign Robert Lewandowski should take the lead now that he’s available. The question is who will support the prolific Poland international on each wing. If preseason is any indication, expect Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha to begin with on either side of it Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ansu Fati waiting in the starting blocks on the bench. Memphis Depay is expected to leave the club soon and could be left out of the matchday squad.
In midfield the Frenkie deJong The transfer saga continues, which means she’s probably that young Pedri and Gavi Start with the Dutchman staying on the bench. Whether Xavi prefers the natural right-back remains to be seen Sergino goal in the full-back position, or whether Sergi Roberto will continue to occupy this position.
Estimated starting line-up of Barcelona (4-3-3): Ter Stegen (TG) – Alba, Pique, Araujo, Dest – Pedri, Busquets, Gavi – Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele.
MORE: Full Barcelona squad list and player numbers for 2022/23 season
Rayo Vallecano ended last season in poor form, winning only two games in the second half of the season. However, they finished 12th in the table in a solid first half and they will be looking to turn things around with a fresh start.
The key to attack will be Radamel Falcao who scored five goals in the first 13 weeks of last season before losing his place in the starting XI. The Colombian missed the final pre-season game of the summer and it remains to be seen if he can beat this year’s competition Sergio Camelloor newcomers Andrew Martin and Sergio Moreno.
Manager Andoni Iraola is known for cutting and changing his starting line-up, so this can change from week to week. Luca Zidane and Sergi Guardiolathe sons of Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola, both left the club this summer and are no longer with the team.
Expected starting line-up for Rayo Vallecano (4-3-1-2): Dimitrievski (GK) – Hernandez, Catena, Lejeune, Balliu – U. Lopez, Pozo, Valentin – Trejo – S. Sanchez, Camello.
⚡️Preparando el #BarçaRayo de este sábado 🔜
Mañana, nueva session a puerta cerrada.#VamosRayo pic.twitter.com/mtvAzWASfi— Rayo Vallecano (@RayoVallecano) August 10, 2022
Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano best bet & expert prediction
Odds on DraftKings (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)
There is little value in picking Barcelona as the winner as they are such heavy favorites that it ruins the experience.
Rayo may have kept Barcelona off the goalscoring chart for two full games last season but doing so against the revived Blaugrana attack will be a different task altogether. Players like Lewandowski, Dembele, Raphinha and Aubameyang have all had fantastic pre-seasons and should be ready to fill the back of the net.
Despite Rayo being a strong defensive team, this front line shouldn’t be held back by Barcelona, so Rayo will have to keep up. The midfield team isn’t exactly productive up front and Barcelona should walk away with a win and a clean sheet.
- Choose: Barcelona to keep clean (-145 on DraftKings)
- Forecast: Barcelona 2-0 Rayo Vallecano
DraftKings | Sports interaction |
|
---|---|---|
Barcelona wins | -575 | 1.17 |
To draw | +600 | 6.83 |
Rayo Vallecano wins | +1100 | 13.00 |
Both teams to score Y/N |
+115 / -150 | 2.02 / 1.63 |
over under 3.5 goals |
+120 / -150 | 2.11 / 1.65 |
Barcelona -1.5 | -170 | 1.56 |
Rayo Vallecano +1.5 | +140 | 2.34 |