Real Madrid is back in action in La Liga this weekend, traveling across town to take on Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Madrid are fresh off an inspiring 3-2 win away to Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, with goals from Kylian Mbappe , Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham .
The victory lifted them into 20th position in the Champions League table and brought their record in the competition to three wins and three losses.
Los Blancos' form in La Liga has been inconsistent, however. Carlo Ancelotti's side cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Girona over the weekend after losing 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao in midweek.
Madrid still sits in second place in the league standings, now just two points off leaders FC Barcelona after the Catalans struggled through a difficult run of games in November.
Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, are 12th in the standings on 19 points. Los Franjirrojos were victorious last time out in league play, defeating a struggling Valencia CF 1-0 on Saturday. Prior to that, Rayo had suffered three-straight losses in La Liga.
Rayo Vallecano Projected Lineup vs Real Madrid
Inigo Perez's side should be largely unchanged from the one that produced a win at Mestalla over the weekend.
Alvaro Garcia, Isi Palazon and Jorde de Frutos should serve as the attacking contingent of Rayo's midfield, feeding striker Randy Nteka.
Former Real Madrid big-money signing James Rodriguez will likely start the game on the bench. The 33-year-old has yet to score in six appearances for his new club.
Pelayo Fernandez and Raul de Tomas will miss the game due to injury.
Rayo Vallecano predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Augusto Batalla (GK) – Andrei Ratiu, Florian Lejeune, Abdul Mumin, Pep Chavarria – Pathé Ciss, Oscar Valentin – Jorge De Frutos, Isi Palazon, Alvaro Garcia – Randy Nteka.
Real Madrid Projected Lineup vs Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid just cannot seem to get any luck on the injury front this season, as Mbappé is the latest star to succumb to an ailment. The French superstar left in the first half of the win over Atalanta with a thigh issue that will reportedly keep him out for 10 days or so.
Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo both recently returned from injury and will be tasked with the bulk of the attacking responsibilities with Mbappé sidelined. Despite some fitness concerns, Jude Bellingham should also start on Saturday, as he's looking for a goal in a sixth consecutive league fixture.
Dani Ceballos should feature among the starters once again after an impressive performance in Italy, while Aurelien Tchouameni could resume duties as a make-shift center-back as the club continues to deal with major injuries to their backline.
Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba are all unavailable for selection.
Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois – Lucas Vazquez, Aurelien Tchouameni, Antonio Rudiger, Fran Garcia – Dani Ceballos, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham – Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano Head-to-Head History
Real Madrid have dominated the head-to-head history over their cross-town rivals, winning 32 out of 44 all-time meetings, while Rayo have only won all three points on seven occasions.
However, Madrid have only won one of their last four games against Rayo, having settled for draws in both fixtures last campaign.
El Rayito last defeated the Spanish giants in November 2022, triumphing by a score of 3-2 at home.
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