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Rayo Vallecano will welcome Shkendija to the Estadio de Vallecas in their UEFA Conference League campaign opener on Thursday. Vallecano are back in a European competition for the first time in 24 years, while the visitors will make their European debut.
The hosts have seen a drop in form and are winless in their last five games. They played Sevilla at home in La Liga last week and suffered a 1-0 loss. They met Neman in the qualifying playoffs in August and recorded a 5-0 win on aggregate.
Ballistët have enjoyed a good run of form and are unbeaten in their last five games, recording four wins. They met Sileks in the Macedonian First Football League last week and registered a 2-0 home win while keeping a third consecutive clean sheet.
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Rayo Vallecano vs Shkendija Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams will meet for the first time. This is the first time that Vallecano meet a team from North Macedonia and the visitors also square off against a Spanish side for the first time.
- The hosts have lost three of their last four games, failing to score in two.
- The visitors have suffered three defeats across all competitions this season, with all three defeats registered in the qualifying campaign of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
- Shkendija have won just one of their last three away games. Interestingly, they have scored one goal apiece in these games.
- Rayo Vallecano are winless in their last three home games, playing out two 1-1 draws.
- Vallecano went unbeaten at home in their appearance in the 2000-01 UEFA Cup, winning four of the six games.
- The visitors registered just one win on their travels in the qualifying campaign earlier this season.
Rayo Vallecano vs Shkendija Prediction
Los Franjirrojos are winless across all competitions since August. Notably, their last win was registered at home in the Conference League qualifying playoffs. They failed to score for the first time at home in the loss against Sevilla last week and will look to bounce back here.
Luiz Felipe, Abdul Mumin, and Randy Nteka remain sidelined with injuries for the hosts.
The Ballists will make their European debut in this match and will look to give a good account of themselves. Notably, their three defeats this season have been registered in European games. They have scored one goal apiece in four of their last five away games.
Vallecano are winless in all competitions since August, and the visitors will make their debut here, which will likely impact their performance in this encounter. With that in mind, we expect the two teams to play out a draw.
Prediction: Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Shkendija
Rayo Vallecano vs Shkendija Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
