Atletico Madrid's 1-1 draw with Celta Viga and Real Madrid's share of points with Osasuna give Barcelona a big advantage. Hansi Flick's side need to beat Rayo Vallecano to take the lead.
Currently, Barca are losing to Real and Atletico by 2 and 1 points respectively but have a very high secondary index (+39). Therefore, if they have 3 more points, Hansi Flick's team will overcome Real Madrid to lead the table. This goal is completely within the capabilities of Yamal and his teammates.
The statistics below show that Barca is superior to their opponents.
Barcelona leads LaLiga in goals scored with 64 goals in 23 matches, while Rayo Vallecano is 6th in goals conceded with 24 goals in 23 matches.
Rayo Vallecano are 10th in LaLiga for goals scored with 27 goals in 23 matches, while Barcelona are 7th in goals conceded with 25 goals in 23 matches.
Barcelona's goal difference (+39) is the highest in the league. In terms of goal difference, Rayo Vallecano are 6th in LaLiga (+3).
Rayo Vallecano have faced 270 shots from the opponent after 23 matches. In contrast, Barca are the league's No. 1 in terms of shots, with 357 in 23 games. On the other hand, Barca have only faced 190 shots from the opponent since the beginning of the tournament.
Barcelona's Lewandowski is leading the scoring list in LaLiga with 19 goals, in addition to 1 assist.
Raphinha has 11 goals (ranked 4th in the tournament) and 6 assists. Yamal has 5 goals and 9 assists at LaLiga. Meanwhile, Pedri also scored 4 goals, 3 times to help his teammates score. These are the best attacking players Barca have.
On Rayo Vallecano's side, captain Jorge De Frutos is the best attacking player, having scored 4 goals and had 3 assists since the beginning of the tournament.
Head-to-head record
As of October 2021, Barca have had a series of 14 consecutive incredible wins against Rayo, including devastating victories of 7-0, 6-0 and 6-1.
But in the following 5 meetings, Barca could not defeat Rayo, including 3 losses. Things have only changed since the end of last season, when Barca beat their opponents 3-0 at Estadi Olympic Stadium. Earlier this season, Barca came from behind to beat Rayo 2-1 away, with Pedri and Dani Olmo scoring.
The Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano match will take place at 3:00 a.m. on February 18.
