Overview
Real Madrid started the season with 3 consecutive wins against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Malaga, but then unexpectedly lost to Real Betis 0-1 in the most recent round.
After 4 matches, Jose Mourinho's team has 9 points and is ranked third in the La Liga standings, 3 points behind Barcelona. The defending champion is having an impressive start and Real Madrid understands that they are not allowed to continue to drop points.
However, Real Madrid quickly regained their spirit with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League. This result brought the necessary boost for Los Blancos before returning to the domestic arena.
Head-to-head history is also on Real Madrid's side. In the last 48 encounters with Rayo Vallecano in all competitions, Los Blancos won 34 matches, only lost 7 and scored 121 goals.
However, Rayo still has reason to hope. This team has drawn with Real Madrid in 4 of the last 6 encounters in La Liga. In the most recent confrontation in February, Rayo also caused Real Madrid many difficulties before Los Blancos won 2-1.
Last season, Rayo Vallecano finished eighth in La Liga, only 1 point behind the group that won tickets to European cups. Benat San Jose's team continues to aim to compete in the upper half of the table this season.
After 4 rounds, Rayo has 4 points and is ranked 14th. They started the season with a 1-2 defeat to Sevilla, then drew 1-1 in the next match and lost to Barcelona 2-5 at the end of August.
Rayo entered the away match at the Bernabeu with a better spirit after the 3-2 victory over Racing de Santander. These 3 points help the San Jose team relieve some pressure after a series of unsatisfactory results.
Real Madrid is rated higher, but Rayo has repeatedly caused difficulties for Los Blancos in recent encounters. In the context that Barcelona is creating great pressure at the top, Real Madrid needs to avoid another stumble.
Personnel situation
Real Madrid continues to be without Eder Militao (muscle), Rodrygo (knee), Raul Asencio (brother) and Ferland Mendy (hamstring) due to injuries. Andriy Lunin is likely to return to the squad after missing the match against Inter Milan due to illness.
Bernardo Silva, Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga are also ready to return after failing to participate in the Champions League due to suspension.
Aurelien Tchouameni has recovered from a muscle injury and was brought on from the bench against Inter. However, the French midfielder is unlikely to start in this match as Bernardo Silva is likely to return to the starting lineup.
On Rayo Vallecano's side, Augusto Batalla (legs), Jozhua Vertrouwd (hamstrings), Luiz Felipe (legs), Isi Palazon (muscles) along with Fran Perez and Jorge de Frutos (suspended) will be absent.
Marash Kumbulla also needs to be further checked due to muscle problems. This makes it impossible for Rayo to have the strongest force in the away match at the Bernabeu.
Expected lineup:
Real Madrid: Courtois, Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella, Valverde, Bernardo, Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe.
Rayo Vallecano: Cardenas, Ratiu, Lejeune, Ciss, Pedrosa, Lopez, Valentin, Diaz, Tsitaishvili, Camello, A. Garcia.
The match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano takes place at 2:00 AM on September 13 (Vietnam time).
