JAKARTA - Real Madrid will try to continue the positive trend in La Liga when hosting Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, February 1 afternoon local time. Victory is a must for Los Blancos who are competing fiercely at the top of the standings.
Real Madrid currently occupies second place in the La Liga standings, one point behind leader Barcelona. However, the gap could widen to four points if Barcelona is able to beat Elche in Saturday night's match.
Despite appearing impressive in the domestic competition with five consecutive victories, Real Madrid came to this match with less than ideal capital. They just swallowed a shocking 2-4 defeat from Benfica in the Champions League league phase, a result that made them fail to finish in the top eight and have to undergo a playoff match to the 16th round.
Ironically, the draw brings Real Madrid back to Benfica, so the two teams will meet in two legs to compete for a place in the knockout phase. This condition makes the focus of Los Blancos now back to La Liga.
In the domestic competition, Alvaro Arbeloa's team's performance is solid. They successfully conquered Alaves, Sevilla, Real Betis, Levante, and Villarreal in the last five matches, keeping the championship open.
Historically, Real Madrid is far ahead of Rayo Vallecano. From 47 meetings in La Liga, Los Blancos won 33 victories and scored a total of 119 goals. However, the latest meeting record shows that the duel between the two teams often goes tight. Real Madrid only won twice in the last seven meetings against Rayo.
In the first meeting of the season, Rayo Vallecano was even able to hold Real Madrid to a goalless draw in November 2025. Four of the last five meetings between the two teams also ended in a draw.
Rayo Vallecano came to the Santiago Bernabeu in less than convincing condition. The team coached by Inigo Perez just swallowed a 1-3 defeat from Osasuna at home, after previously losing when traveling to Celta Vigo's headquarters.
Currently, Rayo is in 16th place in the standings with 22 points from 21 matches, just one point away from the relegation zone. Away form is a major homework for Los Franjirrojos, who have lost seven of 11 away games this season and scored only nine goals.
In terms of player fitness, Real Madrid still has to lose a number of pillars. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, and Antonio Rudiger are confirmed to be absent due to injury.
Coach Alvaro Arbeloa is predicted to make some changes compared to the Champions League match. Rodrygo has the opportunity to appear from the first minute to replace Franco Mastantuono in the front line. Meanwhile, in the midfield, Eduardo Camavinga has the opportunity to replace Arda Guler. Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior are confirmed to remain the mainstay.
In the Rayo Vallecano camp, Abdul Mumin and Andrei Ratiu still have to sit out. However, Ivan Balliu has a chance to recover in time to fill the right back position. Ilias Akhomach, who made his debut as a substitute in the last match, has the potential to get the chance to appear as a starter.
Alvaro Garcia is still the main focus of Rayo's attack after scoring 10 goals in all competitions this season.
Seeing the condition of the two teams, Real Madrid is favored to get full points. The impetus to rise after the failure in Europe and the quality of the squad that is more qualified is predicted to be the difference.
Expected line-up
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla; Balliu, Lejeune, Ciss, Chavarria; Palazon, Valentin, Diaz; Akhomach, De Frutos, A Garcia.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Rayo Vallecano.
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