Overview
Rayo Vallecano entered this match after a 4-0 victory over Neman in the second leg of the Europa Conference League play-off round. They defeated their opponents after two matches with a total score of 5-0 and officially won a ticket to the group stage.
This will be the second time in Los Franjirrojos' history that Los Franjirrojos have participated in the European Cup - a memorable milestone for the team that spent most of their time fighting in the Segunda Division.
Last season, Inigo Perez's team finished 8th in La Liga - their best result in the top flight. They also started this season quite solidly with 3 points after two rounds, temporarily ranking 8th on the rankings.
Rayo opened with a 3-1 victory over Girona before losing 0-1 at Athletic Bilbao, but their performance at San Mamas still left many positive signals.
This time's opponent, Barcelona, has won all three of their most recent encounters in La Liga against Rayo, including a 2-1 victory in the first leg last season. However, Los Franjirrojos have previously created a difficult time when they were unbeaten in 5 consecutive matches against Blaugrana from October 2021 to November 2023.
Meanwhile, Barcelona experienced a phenomenon against rookie Levante in the last round. The disastrous first half left them behind 0-2 after goals from Ivan Romero and Jose Luis Morales.
However, the defending champion's mettle spoke up in the second half. Pedri and Ferran Torres scored the equalizer in turn, before Unai Elgezabal's own goal in the final minutes helped Barca complete a dramatic comeback 3-2.
Before that, Hansi Flick's team started the season with a 3-0 victory over Mallorca, scoring a total of 6 goals after only two rounds. The attack is showing signs of explosion, but Barcelona's defense still leaves many worries. They may need to add personnel before the summer transfer window ends.
Barcelona will aim to win another victory before entering the September international break.
Personnel situation
Rayo will not have the services of Abdul Mumin and Nobel Mendy due to injury. However, the home team still maintained good form and did not have any further problems after the match in the European Cup.
Inigo Perez is expected to make some changes compared to the lineup against Neman. Alvaro Garcia - who scored a double from the bench - is likely to start. Jorge de Frutos will also return to lead the attack, in addition to Andrei Ratiu, Pathe Ciss and Isi Palazon all ready to join from the start.
On the other side, Barcelona continues to be without Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back surgery) and Gavi (knee injury). Robert Lewandowski is in the process of recovering his hamstrings, so Ferran Torres is likely to continue to play the spearhead role after impressive performances at the beginning of the season.
Hansi Flick could make three changes to the starting line-up from the win over Levante. Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo are all ready to start.
Expected lineup:
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Felipe, Chavarria, Ciss, Lopez, Palazon, Diaz, A. Garcia, De Frutos.
Barcelona: J. Garcia, Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde, Pedri, De Jong, Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Torres.
The match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona takes place at 2:30 am on September 1 (Vietnam time).
