Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid Predictions & Match Preview

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for expert analysis, the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two Madrid clubs meet.

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid Preview

This is leg two, of a triple header of LaLiga games in Madrid on Saturday and it’s a derby too as Real Madrid make the trip across town to Vallecas. A few weeks back, this would have felt like a really tough game for the league leaders but Rayo’s worrying decline in form suggests that may no longer be the case.

To an extent, Rayo Vallecano were always going to struggle to maintain their extraordinary home form from the start of the season. They were clearly vastly overachieving relative to their relatively limited resources and a run of four straight league defeats heading into this game, is perhaps not a huge surprise, not least given their Copa del Rey commitments.

Rayo have the 2nd Leg of their Semi-Final at Betis this coming week which will give Andoni Iraola even more reason to freshen things up with some changes after their latest defeat, which came via a 2-1 margin at Elche. Rayo should have taken something from that game, particularly having led it with 15 minutes to play, and will be keen to ensure this losing streak doesn’t extend much more. However their excellent first half of the season ensures they aren’t in any real relegation trouble with an 11 point cushion on the bottom three heading into the weekend.

As for Real Madrid, they have no reason to rotate or rest players here with no midweek fixtures either side of this. With Sevilla also in derby action against 3rd placed Betis, Los Blancos have the opportunity to take a really firm grip on the title race this weekend and would temporarily at least open up a 9 point advantage at the top if they could win this game.

Real Madrid may feel as though they’ve got away with what has been a slight dip in form. They’ve dropped points in 4 of their last 8 league matches but have continued to maintain a clear lead at the top. They were too strong for Alaves last weekend, although it did take over an hour for the breakthrough to come in what was ultimately a 3-0 win with Karim Benzema easing fears over his fitness with another strong display.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Rayo Vallecano Win, 5 Real Madrid Wins.
• Rayo won the last meeting in Vallecas, 1-0 in April in 2019.
• That’s their only victory in 17 competitive meetings against Los Blancos.
• Real Madrid won 2-1 when the sides met earlier in the season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Team News

Unai López is a doubt for Rayo.

Real Madrid have injury concerns over David Alaba and Gareth Bale, with both expected to miss this game.

Possible Lineups

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid Predictions

Score Prediction: Rayo Vallecano 0-3 Real Madrid

Rayo are clearly low on confidence right now and an early goal for Los Blancos could set them on their way to what should be a comfortable win. Iraola may look to rotate a bit too with the cup game on the horizon and the visitors should be fresh and strong enough to inflict a 5th straight league defeat on Rayo.

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