Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Prediction, Picks, XIs for La Liga – Monday, August 31

Monday’s La Liga match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET. Barcelona enters the La Liga match as significant favorites on their home pitch and returns a 1.09x payout on PrizePicks with a win.

Barcelona hosts Rayo looking to remain perfect through the first three games. La Liga's reigning champions have started the 2026-27 campaign in impressive fashion, scoring 7 goals in their first two matches and being the only team yet to concede one.

They face a Rayo side that is winless through two matches, having lost their opener and most recently drawing against Alavés. Despite finishing in the top eight last season, Rayo are struggling early following key departures in the summer transfer window.

Below, we'll break down our Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano prediction and picks for Monday's La Liga match, including winner payouts, total goals, and top La Liga picks for PrizePicks today.

Make your Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano prediction on PrizePicks for Monday’s La Liga match now.

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Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Prediction, Picks for La Liga – Monday, August 31

How to watch Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano: ESPN+ (English) / ESPN Deportes(Spanish)

Kickoff Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona may be tracking for a third consecutive Spanish title after a blistering start. The Catalans made major moves in the summer and have built a well-rounded squad that is excelling across the pitch. The biggest improvement early on has been defensive, with Joan García and the Barcelona back line keeping back-to-back clean sheets.

They averaged just under a goal conceded per game last season but have been barely tested so far, allowing 6 shots per game through two matches.

Rayo Vallecano will look to be the first side to breach that stubborn back line later today. The Madrid club proved to be one of Barcelona's toughest opponents in La Liga last season, drawing 1-1 in the first meeting and holding the league's top scorers to just 1 goal in the second.

Rayo generated 3.41 xG to Barça's 3.22 across those two fixtures, creating more big chances and finishing with more shots on target in both games. We've not seen the same attacking threat from Beñat San José's side early this season, but a fixture of this magnitude could bring it out of them.

Even with how well Rayo performed against Hansi Flick's side last season, the Spanish champions are simply operating at a different level at this early stage of the campaign. Barcelona's new-look attack, with newly named captain Raphinha leading the line, has produced immediate results.

The Brazilian has scored 3 goals and added an assist across just 143 minutes of action so far. New signings Karim Adeyemi and Anthony Gordon have both brought a fresh dimension on the wings and made strong early contributions.

All of this has come with superstar winger Lamine Yamal in the midst of an uncharacteristically slow start, still without a goal contribution despite the team's overall dominance in attack.

Barcelona appear to have another gear still to find, and we may see it today against Rayo Vallecano.

Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Spread, Total Goals, Payouts – Monday, August 31

Barcelona enters Monday’s game as home favorites against Rayo Vallecano, returning a 1.09x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Here are the full payouts for the Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano match on PrizePicks.

Play the Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano spread or total goals on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 36 states!

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Prediction on Total Goals – 8/31/26

Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano prediction on total goals for the La Liga match on Monday, August 31.

Check out more of our La Liga picks and predictions on PrizePicks.

• Barcelona lead the league in big chances created with 13 after just two games despite most other sides having already played three matches.
• Both meetings between these teams last season finished under the total, with the sides combining for 3 goals across 180 minutes. These two haven't produced over 3.5 total goals in a single game since 2019 — a run of 11 matches across all competitions.
• Only 15.8% of Rayo's 38 La Liga games last season finished with over 3.5 total goals.
• Barcelona vastly underperformed their xG in their first home game this season, scoring just twice despite 10 shots on target and generating 4.23 xG.
• Barcelona's 8.5 shots on target per game rank second in La Liga. Rayo Vallecano averages the fourth-fewest shots on target per game with just 3.0.

Predict Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Total Goals in this La Liga match on PrizePicks.

Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Projected Lineups

Take a look at the Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano projected lineups for today's La Liga match. Lineups are not official and should be confirmed before match start.

Barcelona Lineup vs. Rayo Vallecano: Projected 4-3-3

• Goalkeeper: Joan García 
• Defense: Xavi Espart, Gerard Martín, Pau Cubarsí, Eric García
• Midfield: Pedri, Marc Bernal, Fermín López
• Forwards: Raphinha, Anthony Gordon, Lamine Yamal

Rayo Vallecano Lineup vs. Barcelona: Projected 4-1-4-1

• Goalkeeper: Dani Cárdenas 
• Defense: Andrei Rațiu, Florian Lejeune, Joshua Vertrouwd, Iván Balliu
• Midfield: Pathé Ismaël Ciss, Unai López, Óscar Valentín 
• Forwards: Jorge de Frutos, Álvaro García, Sergio Camello

Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 8/31/26

Here are Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano picks to target for La Liga on Monday, August 31. Today’s La Liga picks include Raphinha and Florian Lejeune.

Barcelona ST Raphinha vs. Rayo Vallecano: 2 Shots on Target

• Raphinha has registered 4 shots on target across his two appearances this season playing as Barcelona's makeshift striker, compared to just 1.1 per game in that category last season.
• He had 2 SOT in Barcelona's most recent meeting with Rayo Vallecano last season and missed 3 big chances across the two fixtures combined.
• Rayo have conceded 7 SOT this season, with opponents averaging 14 total shots per game against them.

Add Raphinha to your PrizePicks La Liga lineup now!

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Rayo Vallecano GK Florian Lejeune vs. Barcelona: 5.5 Clearances

• Lejeune has started the season strongly on the defensive end, making 14 clearances combined across his first two games. The veteran Frenchman averaged 6.4 clearances per game in La Liga last season.
• He made 5 clearances in his most recent match against Barcelona but hasn't surpassed 5.5 against them since 2023.
• Teams are averaging 12 clearances against Barcelona this season. Athletic Club's backline combined for 9 in Barcelona's most recent match.

 Add Florian Lejeune to your PrizePicks La Liga lineup now!

Make Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano Picks on PrizePicks

Barcelona will look to retake the lead in the La Liga standings when they host Rayo Vallecano on Monday. The visitors aim to replicate last season's success against the reigning champions as they search for their first win of the campaign.

Don’t wait until kickoff — you can make your Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano picks for Monday’s La Liga match now on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. 

Just pick your La Liga players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on match winner, total goals, and both teams to score — now available in 36 states. 

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