Athletic Club vs Rayo Vallecano Predictions, Lineups & Betting Tips

Match Details: August 25, 2025 | Estádio de San Mamés | La Liga | 18:30 BST

Rayo Vallecano heads north to Bilbao to take on Athletic Club in the second game week of La Liga. The hosts look to start strong ahead of a busy European schedule in the coming months, while Rayo are already in the thick of it with European qualification playing on their minds.

Key Betting Tip: Over 2.5 Goals at 2.1 odds on Kwiff represents excellent value based on the tip provided by our team of in-house tipsters.

Bilbao vs Rayo Predicted Lineups

Bilbao Predicted XI: Unai Simon; Yuri Berichiche, Aitor Paredes, Daniel Vivian, Jesus Areso; Mikel Jauregizar, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta; Nico Williams, Alex Berenguer, Iñaki Williams; Maroan Sannadi.

Rayo Predicted XI: Augusto Batalla; Pep Chavarria, Florian Lejeune, Luiz Felipe, Andrei Ratiu; Álvaro Garcia, Pathé Ciss, Pedro Diaz, Isi Palazon; Unai Lopez, Jorge de Frutos.

Neither side may change from their opening day XI’s after successful starts to the campaign. The hosts have an array of injury worries at the moment too, leaving squad depth thin. Yeray Álvarez remains suspended, while Benat Prados (thigh), Oihan Sancet (knee), Unai Eguiluz (acl), and Unai Gomez (muscle) remain sidelined.

Rayo Vallecano’s Abdul Mumin (acl), and Marco de las Sias (muscle) are also out through injury.

Bilbao vs Rayo Current League Standings

Bilbao were pushed until the very end by a strong Sevilla side. Goals from Nico Williams, Sannadi, and Robert Navarro saw them edge past them 3-2. Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano won their opening fixture away at Girona. Goals from de Frutos, Garcia, and Isi saw them run out comfortable 3-1 winners.

This leaves both teams having won one out of one, playing on Monday to maintain their respective 100% records.

Bilbao vs Rayo Head-to-Head Timeline

In recent times, the Basque side have enjoyed this fixture, winning 13 of the last 20 meetings between the sides. Bilbao are currently sitting on a four-game winning streak in this matchup, with Rayo last coming out with the share of the spoils in 2021.

Recent Head-to-Head Results:

• April 13, 2025: Bilbao 3-1 Rayo (La Liga)
• December 1, 2024: Rayo 1-2 Bilbao (La Liga)
• May 25, 2024: Rayo 0-1 Bilbao (La Liga)
• December 2, 2023: Bilbao 4-0 Rayo (La Liga)
• March 5, 2023: Rayo 0-0 Bilbao (La Liga)

The last meeting between these outfits came in April, with the northern Spain outfit winning 3-1. Despite Ciss scoring the opener for the visitors in the first half, a second half brace from brace from Sancet came either side of a Williams goal to give Bilbao all three points.

Bilbao and Rayo Recent Matches Analysis

Bilbao Last 5 Matches:

• Bilbao 3-2 Sevilla (H) – La Liga
• Bilbao 0-3 Arsenal (A) – Club Friendly
• Bilbao 2-3 Liverpool (A) – Club Friendly
• Bilbao 1-4 Liverpool (A) – Club Friendly
• Bilbao 1-2 Racing Santander (A) – Club Friendly

Bilbao did not enjoy the summer preparation, losing six of their seven friendlies, however, they did start the league season strongly, and will look to continue the form they found last weekend at home again on Monday.

Rayo Last 5 Matches:

• Rayo 1-0 Neman Grodno (A) – Conference League
• Rayo 3-1 Girona (A) – La Liga
• Rayo 3-0 Sunderland (A) – Club Friendly
• Rayo 2-3 West Brom (A) – Club Friendly
• Rayo 1-1 Genk (A) – Club Friendly

After qualifying to Europe last campaign, it was difficult to put a finger on the Madrid-based side as to how they would back it up. A good end to pre-season was followed by an opening league match victory and one step into the Conference League league phase after winning 1-0 in Hungary against Belarusian side Grodno.

Bilbao vs Rayo Predictions

Our advanced algorithm analyses over 200 data points to generate these predictions with confidence in a Over 2.5 Goals victory. The model factors in current form, head-to-head records, player availability, and tactical matchups.

Best Bilbao vs Rayo Betting Tips

Football Park’s Best Bet: Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.1 - Recent form suggests confidence in an Over 2.5 Goals victory. There were nine goals overall in each teams opening match, with both sides scoring three times. This suggests that with strong attacking lines, there could be goals again in this fixture.

Key Players to Watch: Bilbao vs Rayo

Nico Williams (Bilbao): Despite strong interest from the likes of Barcelona in the 23-year-old‘s signature, Williams decided to stay in Bilbao penning a 10-year deal. He backed up his new contract by bagging on the opening day and registering an assist to help defeat Sevilla.

Álvaro Garcia (Rayo): The 32-year-old has been key for Rayo success so far, as he has scored in the opening day of the La Liga season to trump Girona, before scoring the goal to take a 1-0 lead back to Bilbao on Thursday.

Bilbao vs Rayo Match Facts

Referee: TBC

Broadcast Details:

UK: Amazon Prime & Premier Sports at 18:30 BST.

Stadium Information: Located in Bilbao, northern Spain, the Estádio de San Mamés can hold a capacity of up to just over 53,000 spectators.

Bilbao vs Rayo: Final Prediction

Athletic Club 2-2 Rayo Vallecano