Overview
Real Madrid entered this match in a mood that had not yet recovered from the shock of losing 2-4 to Benfica in the Champions League group stage. This result caused Los Blancos to drop out of the top 8, forced to enter the play-off round to compete for tickets to the round of 16.
In the recent draw, Real Madrid continued to be in the same bracket with Benfica, meaning the two teams will play the first and second legs to determine a ticket to the next round.
Temporarily putting aside the Champions League, Real Madrid must quickly return to the rhythm in La Liga - where they are in very impressive form. Alvaro Arbeloa's team has won all 5 recent matches against Alaves, Sevilla, Real Betis, Levante and Villarreal to continue to chase in the championship race.
In the standings, Real Madrid is currently ranked second, 4 points behind Barcelona. Previously, Barcelona won 3-1 against Elche to put great pressure on Los Blancos.
Head-to-head history still favors the Bernabeu home team. Real Madrid won 33/47 encounters with Rayo Vallecano, scoring 119 goals. However, recent statistics warn of the opponent's discomfort when Los Blancos have only won 2/7 recent encounters.
In the first leg in November, Rayo Vallecano drew 0-0 with Real Madrid. Last season, they lost 1-2 at the Bernabeu. Notably, since January 1996, Rayo Vallecano has never won at the Bernabeu. However, 4/5 of the most recent encounters between the two teams have ended in a draw, including a 0-0 draw right at the Bernabeu in November 2023.
Rayo Vallecano entered this match with not very positive form when they just lost to Osasuna 1-3 at home, and also lost in their most recent away match against Celta Vigo on January 18. Inigo Perez's team currently has a record of 5 wins, 7 draws, 9 losses after 21 rounds, winning 22 points and ranked 16th, only 1 point ahead of Mallorca (18th place).
Having finished eighth last season, but this season Los Franjirrojos have clearly declined away from home. They have lost 7/11 away matches in La Liga and have only scored 9 goals.
Personnel situation
Real Madrid continues to have a headache about the force when Trent Alexander-Arnold ( thigh), Eder Militao (hamstring), Ferland Mendy (hamstring) and Antonio Rudiger (knee) have not been able to return, and are likely to be absent.
Alvaro Arbeloa is predicted to have some adjustments compared to the starting lineup against Benfica. In attack, Rodrygo may be given a starting spot to replace Franco Mastantuono. In midfield, Eduardo Camavinga is also likely to start from the beginning to replace Arda Guler.
However, the important squad including Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior is likely to remain in the starting lineup in La Liga.
On the other side, Rayo Vallecano will not have the service of Abdul Mumin (knee injury) and Andrei Ratiu (leg injury). However, the away team still hopes Ivan Balliu will recover from a minor injury in time to participate from the beginning.
Notably, Ilias Akhomach just made his debut for Rayo Vallecano when he came on as a substitute in the match against Osasuna in the previous round, after joining on loan from Villarreal. This striker can be considered to start in this weekend's match.
On the attacking front, Alvaro Garcia is still Rayo's biggest mainstay this season. This winger is currently the team's number one scorer with 10 goals in all competitions, and will continue to play a key role in the effort to surprise Real Madrid.
Expected lineup:
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.
The match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano takes place at 8:00 PM on February 1st (Vietnam time).
