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Preview: Rayo meet Real in Madrid

Preview: Rayo meet Real in Madrid

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Rayo Vallecano welcome Real Madrid to the Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday afternoon as the leaders look to maintain their advantage at the top of the table.

By Ross Kilvington

Real must bounce back from Liverpool defeat

Until Los Blancos travelled to Anfield on Tuesday night, they had won six successive games, including two in the Champions League.

Xabi Alonso was outdone on his return to Merseyside, however, despite Real dominating possession throughout the match.

They have a five-point lead at the top of the table, which could be stretched to eight should three points be secured on Sunday, as Barcelona don’t play until the evening.

Kylian Mbappé failed to register any shots on target against Liverpool, while Jude Bellingham succeeded with just one dribble and missed a glaring chance.

Remarkably, the Frenchman has scored in all but one of Madrid’s 11 league matches this season, leading the race for the Pichichi award by six goals.

Alonso will be hoping his team can bounce back to winning ways against Rayo Vallecano, extending their lead over Barcelona in the process.

Rayo Vallecano can cause Real Madrid problems

Rayo Vallecano have enjoyed a decent campaign thus far. Four wins from 11 league matches has them 10th in LaLiga ahead of Saturday’s matches. Furthermore, the club are unbeaten in the Conference League.

So far this season, Rayo have defeated Real Sociedad and drawn against Barcelona domestically, utilising an effective counter-attacking strategy which has worked wonders.

While the recent 4-0 defeat to Villarreal skews the figure, Rayo had conceded only ten goals in as many league matches this season.

As such, Madrid will have to be at their best to break through this stubborn defence on Sunday.

Team news

For this massive tie against the leaders, Rayo will be without the services of Abdul Mumin, who is out with a knee injury. Pep Chavarría is suspended and therefore wont be available for the match, while Luiz Felipe remains a doubt and he will be assessed closer to the match.

Alonso will be missing several key players for the short five-mile trip across Madrid to take on Rayo.

Indeed, Argentinian starlet Franco Mastantuono won’t return until after the international break after suffering a groin injury. He missed the clash against Liverpool in midweek.

Elsewhere, Dani Carvajal is out until 2026, despite making a brief return against Barcelona in October. Defender Antonio Rüdiger could be missing for another few months yet after suffering an injury in September.

David Alaba is a doubt as he aims to make only his fifth appearance of the campaign.

Prediction

Rayo have certainly pushed above their weight recently, backing up an impressive eighth place finish last season by starting the current campaign solidly.

Real should have more than enough quality to seal another three points in the league this weekend, however, especially if Mbappé and Vinicíus Júnior click into gear.

Given Alonso can lead his men further clear at the top of the table, we predict the away side to emerge 2-0 victors.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from LaLiga on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: Rayo meet Real in Madrid

Rayo Vallecano welcome Real Madrid to the Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday afternoon as the leaders look to maintain their advantage at the top of the table.

By Ross Kilvington

Real must bounce back from Liverpool defeat

Until Los Blancos travelled to Anfield on Tuesday night, they had won six successive games, including two in the Champions League.

Xabi Alonso was outdone on his return to Merseyside, however, despite Real dominating possession throughout the match.

They have a five-point lead at the top of the table, which could be stretched to eight should three points be secured on Sunday, as Barcelona don’t play until the evening.

Kylian Mbappé failed to register any shots on target against Liverpool, while Jude Bellingham succeeded with just one dribble and missed a glaring chance.

Remarkably, the Frenchman has scored in all but one of Madrid’s 11 league matches this season, leading the race for the Pichichi award by six goals.

Alonso will be hoping his team can bounce back to winning ways against Rayo Vallecano, extending their lead over Barcelona in the process.

Rayo Vallecano can cause Real Madrid problems

Rayo Vallecano have enjoyed a decent campaign thus far. Four wins from 11 league matches has them 10th in LaLiga ahead of Saturday’s matches. Furthermore, the club are unbeaten in the Conference League.

So far this season, Rayo have defeated Real Sociedad and drawn against Barcelona domestically, utilising an effective counter-attacking strategy which has worked wonders.

While the recent 4-0 defeat to Villarreal skews the figure, Rayo had conceded only ten goals in as many league matches this season.

As such, Madrid will have to be at their best to break through this stubborn defence on Sunday.

Team news

For this massive tie against the leaders, Rayo will be without the services of Abdul Mumin, who is out with a knee injury. Pep Chavarría is suspended and therefore wont be available for the match, while Luiz Felipe remains a doubt and he will be assessed closer to the match.

Alonso will be missing several key players for the short five-mile trip across Madrid to take on Rayo.

Indeed, Argentinian starlet Franco Mastantuono won’t return until after the international break after suffering a groin injury. He missed the clash against Liverpool in midweek.

Elsewhere, Dani Carvajal is out until 2026, despite making a brief return against Barcelona in October. Defender Antonio Rüdiger could be missing for another few months yet after suffering an injury in September.

David Alaba is a doubt as he aims to make only his fifth appearance of the campaign.

Prediction

Rayo have certainly pushed above their weight recently, backing up an impressive eighth place finish last season by starting the current campaign solidly.

Real should have more than enough quality to seal another three points in the league this weekend, however, especially if Mbappé and Vinicíus Júnior click into gear.

Given Alonso can lead his men further clear at the top of the table, we predict the away side to emerge 2-0 victors.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow all the games from LaLiga on FotMob in the 2025/26 season – with in-depth stat coverage, including xG, shot maps, and player ratings. Download the free app here.