Real Madrid are back in La Liga action on Saturday when they take on Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas, which could move them to the summit of Spain's top flight. Los Blancos are second behind Barcelona with one game in hand but just two points off while Los Franjirrojos are 12th and come into this having won consecutive games.
Rayo booked their place in the third round of the Copa del Rey by beating Unionistas de Salamanca earlier this month before a narrow win over Valencia in the Spanish topflight. Inigo Perez's men have got eight points from seven home games so far this season, while Real regularly drop points on the road having drawn three and lost one.
The hosts managed to draw both of their games against their Madrid rivals last year, but their overall record of seven wins from 44 games is not pretty reading. On average, Los Franjirrojos concede 2.5 goals per games against Los Blancos which suggests that this one could get ugly if the home side cannot keep things tight.
Real picked up a massive UEFA Champions League win away at Atalanta BC and emerged top in a five-goal thriller. The European titleholders are now 20th in the league phase table with nine points from six games, while Carlo Ancelotti's men also beat Girona comfortably last weekend having gone down to Athletic Club in Bilbao before that.
The Spanish giants have been below-par so far, but they can now eye a UCL knockout phase berth as well as a serious La Liga title tilt. It is all back in Real's hands despite their sluggish early form, which is ominous given how strong they usually are once they wake up each season -- especially on the continental stage.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, December 14 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio de Vallecas - Madrid, Spain
- Watch: ESPN Deportes | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Rayo +480; Draw +300; Real -175
This season so far
Rayo have won five, drawn four and lost six from 15 La Liga games to sit 12th in the standings with 19 points overall, which is enough to be six clear of the relegation zone. Fairly solid defensively, they have only conceded 16 times across 15 games, but goals have been in short supply with just 15 to their name which is a shared fourth-worst return in the Spanish topflight. Real are second in the rankings and just two points behind Barcelona but have a game in hand with this game possibly sending them top at least until Barca play Leganes on Sunday. Los Blancos have conceded just 13 goals from 16 games but have scored 34 times which is second only to Hansi Flick's leaders who have scored 16 more.
Team news
Rayo: Pelayo Fernandez and Raul de Tomas ae out but otherwise the hosts have a fairly full squad to choose from. Randy Nteka is likely to continue as a makeshift striker while Alvaro Garcia, Isi Palazon and Jorge de Frutos should be the front three with Pathe Ciss in the midfield. Former Real man James Rodriguez has been used sparingly so far since his arrival and is unlikely to feature prominently here.
Possible Rayo XI: Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mumin, Chavarria; Ciss, Valentin; De Frutos, Palazon, A Garcia; Nteka.
Real: Kylian Mbappe is out and is also expected to miss the final of the Intercontinental Cup, while Jude Bellingham should be fit despite worries post-Atalanta. Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo both returned from injury in the UCL and could start with Rodrygo expected to play centrally, and Dani Ceballos also expected to start. Aurelien Tchouameni should play in defense again with Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba all still missing.
Possible Real XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, F Garcia; Ceballos, Valverde; Brahim, Bellingham, Vinicius; Rodrygo.
Prediction
Real's prolific form should see them ease past Rayo who will try to keep them at bay but can only really aspire to holding them to a low score as opposed to outscoring them to win. A one or two-goal margin sounds about right. Pick: Rayo 0, Real 2.
