Mid-table Rayo Vallecano hosted Real Madrid in Vallecas in La Liga on Saturday evening.
Íñigo Pérez’s upcoming hosts ended a three-game losing streak with a win in Valencia last weekend, extending the gap above the relegation zone to six points. Real Madrid could briefly knock Barcelona out of top spot before the Blaugrana are in action on Sunday, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side have struggled to produce consistently convincing performances this season.
The reigning Spanish champions sold out Victory by 3-2 in Atalanta on Tuesday night despite being second best for large stretches of the European tie. Ancelotti has an injury glut to manage as he eyes next week’s Intercontinental Cup final in Qatar.
here it is 90 minutes game preview
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid H2H Record (last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
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Rayo Vallecano |
Real Madrid |
|---|---|
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Valencia 0-1 Rayo Vallecano – 07/12/24 |
Atalanta 2-3 Real Madrid – 12/10/24 |
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Salamanca Unionists 2-3 Rayo Vallecano – 04/12/24 |
Girona 0-3 Real Madrid – 24/07/12 |
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Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Athletic Club – 01/12/24 |
Athletic Club 2-1 Real Madrid – 24/04/12 |
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Sevilla 1-0 Rayo Vallecano – 24/11/24 |
Real Madrid 2-0 Getafe – 12/01/24 |
|
Rayo Vallecano 1-3 Las Palmas – 08/11/24 |
Liverpool – Real Madrid 2-0 – 27/11/24 |
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country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
LaLiga TV, first sports player |
|
united states |
ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes |
|
canada |
TSN+ |
El Rayo presents the oldest average of the starting eleven The League – and has the second-youngest coach in the division – but will be without any of its most famous veterans on Saturday. Former Real Madrid Academy graduate Raúl de Tomas has missed Rayo’s last two games through illness, although Perez has not called him up once in La Liga even when he was in shape
Center back Pelayo Fernández has also been limited to Copa del Rey action and has a hamstring problem. The rest of the first team have largely avoided injury, unlike their nearest rivals.
Rayo Vallecano predicted the lineup against Real Madrid (4-4-2): battle; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mumin, Thorn; De Frutos, Ciss, Valentin, Garcia; Peace, world
Real Madrid’s injury nightmare continue Long-term absentees Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and David Alaba were joined on the sidelines by left-back Ferland Mendy earlier this month.
Now, Kylian Mbappe will sign up for Saturday’s short trip to Madrid. After limping against Atalanta in midweek, Ancelotti revealed that the Frenchman would be sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Madrid manager was optimistic that his marquee summer signing will travel with the squad to Qatar for the Intercontinental Cup final, but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to take part.
In better news for the capital club, midfielder Eduardo Camavinga will be available after sitting out the last two weeks with a muscle complaint.
The predicted line-up for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano (4-3-3): Courteous; Vázquez, Asensio, Rudiger, Garcia; Valverde, Modric, Bellingham; Guler, Diaz, Rodrygo
Vallecas has not always been a happy hunting ground for Real Madrid. The capital club have dropped five points from their previous two visits to Madrid’s southern quarter and have managed just one win at Rayo’s shabby stadium since 2016.
However, Vallecas has not been a strength for Perez’s side of late. Only Real Valladolid, in the background, has scored fewer points at home this season than Rayo (eight).
Pérez, the former assistant of the legendary boss of Rayo, Andoni Iraola, now of Bournemouth al Premier League – managed a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in his first game as manager in February. He will do well to repeat the feat this weekend.
