Rayo Vallecano Vs Real Madrid: Los Blancos Aim For Awakening After Falling In The Champions League

Real Madrid must rise immediately (photo: x @realmadrid)

JAKARTA - Real Madrid will try to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League while continuing La Liga's journey by traveling to Rayo Vallecano's headquarters on Sunday 9 November evening local time.

Currently Los Blancos are still leading the La Liga standings with a five-point lead over Barcelona, while Rayo is in 10th place with 14 points from 11 matches.

Rayo Vallecano is in a positive trend after winning 3-2 over Lech Poznan in the Conference League, the result that put them in sixth place in the league stage standings of the tournament. In the last four matches in all competitions, Rayo recorded three wins, despite losing 0-4 to Villarreal in the last league game.

Inigo Perez's squad has recorded four wins, two draws, and five defeats to 11 La Liga games this season. They are four points behind the top six zone, but performance at home is still not consistent with just five points from four games in Vallecas.

Rayo will face Real Madrid who have had the best away record in La Liga so far collecting 12 points from five games outside the home. Historically, Rayo has won just seven of his 46 meetings against Real Madrid in all competitions. However, three of the last four meetings in the league ended in a draw, including 3-3 last season.

Real Madrid last won 2-1 over Rayo in March 2025, but they have only won twice from their last six meetings against their city rivals. The 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the middle of last week was their second defeat this season in all competitions.

However, Xabi Alonso's troops have remained the most dominant team in La Liga so far with a record of 10 wins and one defeat from 11 matches (30 points). If they win over Rayo, they can widen the gap to eight points from Barcelona who have just played the night against Celta Vigo.

Amid internal issues surrounding Vinicius Junior, Madrid's focus is now focused on maintaining positive momentum in the league after four consecutive victories over Villarreal, Getafe, Barcelona, and Valencia.

Rayo Vallecano is still missing Luiz Felipe (hamstring injury) and Abdul Mumin (lutut), while Diego Mendez is doubtful. Some rotations are expected to occur after European matches, with Jorge de Frutos, Alemao, Pedro Diaz, and Andrei Ratiu likely to enter the starting XI.

Alvaro Garcia is the main focus on the front lines with five goals and three assists this season.

From the Real Madrid camp, Aurelien Tchouameni was absent due to a hamstring injury, followed by Dani Carvajal (lutut) and Antonio Rudiger (dots). David Alaba (betis) and Franco Mastantuono (kal grungs) are also doubtful.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was injured, has appeared as a substitute against Liverpool and has the opportunity to start. Federico Valverde could be pushed further, while Rodrygo is likely to return to the starting lineup alongside Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe in attack.

This match is predicted to go tight. Rayo was able to trouble the big team, especially at home, but Real Madrid will come with great determination after the defeat at Anfield. Los Blancos are expected to be able to steal a narrow win to strengthen the top position of the standings.

Estimated Lineup Of Players

Rayo Vallecano (4-3-3): Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarria; Ciss, Valentin, Diaz; De Frutos, Alamemo, A. Garcia

Real Madrid (4-3-3):Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Guler, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius

Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Real Madrid