Rayo Vallecano vs Alaves Preview

Rayo Vallecano host Alaves at Estadio de Vallecas on Thursday, 20th August 2026, with the two sides arriving in contrasting form after the opening weekend of the season.

Rayo’s build-up to the campaign was troubled, and that continued into matchday one. Their most recent outing was a 2-1 defeat away at Sevilla. Prior to that, they were beaten 3-0 away at Ipswich. Before that, they won 3-2 away at Charleroi. Earlier in this run, Rayo were beaten 2-1 away at Feyenoord, and their sequence began with a 2-1 away defeat to Hearts. Across these five matches, Rayo have won just once and lost four times, with their opening-day defeat to Sevilla their most recent result.

Alaves, by contrast, have been in outstanding form. Their most recent outing was a 3-0 home win over Getafe on the opening weekend. Prior to that, they won a penalty shootout away at Racing Santander, the match finishing 1-1 before Alaves prevailed from the spot. Before that, they beat Castellon 3-0 at home. Earlier in this run, Alaves won 1-0 away at Girona, and their sequence began with a 1-1 home draw against Eibar. Overall, Alaves have won four and drawn just once across their last five, remaining unbeaten heading into this trip to Vallecas.

The head-to-head record favours Rayo Vallecano, who have won four of the last five meetings, with no draws and one win for Alaves. Most recently, Rayo won 2-1 away at Mendizorrotza. In the previous encounter, Alaves won 2-0 at home in the domestic cup. Despite Alaves’s superior current form, Rayo’s strong recent record in this specific fixture gives the hosts something to cling to.

Alaves currently sit top of the table with three points and a goal difference of plus three from their opening win, while Rayo Vallecano sit 18th with no points and a goal difference of minus one after their defeat to Sevilla. That gap in early-season standing reflects the broader form lines coming into this match, with Alaves looking the far sharper side heading into round two. Rayo’s home form will need to improve significantly if they are to close that gap, while Alaves will be eager to maintain their unbeaten start on the road.

Rayo’s attacking output has been inconsistent throughout their build-up, scoring in three of their last five but conceding regularly, while Alaves have looked defensively solid, keeping opponents to a single goal or fewer in four of their last five outings. That contrast in defensive organisation could prove decisive at Vallecas.

In Spain, the match is available to stream via DAZN Spain, DAZN LaLiga, Movistar+ and LaLiga TV Bar HD. In Great Britain and Ireland, viewers can catch the game on Premier Sports 1 and Premier Sports Player. In the United States, the match is available on ESPN Deportes, ESPN+ and fuboTV.

Possible Lineups

Rayo Vallecano (4-2-3-1) Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Valentín, de Frutos, Ciss, Isi, Nteka, López, Balliu, Garcia

Alaves (3-5-2) Sivera, Mañas, Suárez, Otto, Rebbach, Blanco, Koski, Martínez, Ibáñez, Pérez, Tenaglia

Rayo Vallecano Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Sevilla	2-1	Rayo Vallecano	LL	15.08.26
❌	Ipswich	3-0	Rayo Vallecano	CF	08.08.26
✅	Charleroi	2-3	Rayo Vallecano	CF	01.08.26
❌	Feyenoord	2-1	Rayo Vallecano	CF	26.07.26
❌	Hearts	2-1	Rayo Vallecano	CF	17.07.26

Alaves Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Alaves	3-0	Getafe	LL	15.08.26
✅	Racing Santander	1(6)-1(7)	Alaves	CF Pen	07.08.26
✅	Alaves	3-0	Castellon	CF	31.07.26
✅	Girona	0-1	Alaves	CF	25.07.26
🤝	Alaves	1-1	Eibar	CF	18.07.26

Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Alaves	1-2	Rayo Vallecano	LL	23.05.26
Alaves	2-0	Rayo Vallecano	CDR	14.01.26
Rayo Vallecano	1-0	Alaves	LL	26.10.25
Alaves	0-2	Rayo Vallecano	LL	29.03.25
Rayo Vallecano	1-0	Alaves	LL	26.10.24

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Spain	DAZN Spain, DAZN LaLiga, Movistar+, LaLiga TV Bar HD
Great Britain	Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player
Ireland Republic	Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player
USA	ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App
Germany	DAZN Germany, DAZN1 Germany
Italy	DAZN Italia
France	DAZN France, Disney+ Premium
Portugal	DAZN1 Portugal, DAZN Portugal
Canada	TSN+
Japan	DAZN Japan, U-NEXT

POS.	TEAM	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P	FORM
1	Deportivo Alavés	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3	W
2	Espanyol	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3	W
3	Sevilla	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3	W
4	Villarreal	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	D
5	Racing Santander	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	D
6	Real Sociedad	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Elche	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Celta de Vigo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Málaga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Real Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Atlético Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Deportivo La Coruña	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Valencia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Athletic Club	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	Real Betis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	Osasuna	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	Rayo Vallecano	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0	L
19	Getafe	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0	L
20	Levante	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0	L