Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu sets the stage for a high-stakes La Liga showdown between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.

Real Madrid recovered from a 2-1 defeat at Betis in their last La Liga outing with an identical home victory against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s charges haven’t fared well in the domestic championship lately, picking up just one win across their last five league outings (D2, L2). As a result, they commenced this round three points behind leaders Barcelona, meaning their hopes of clinching consecutive La Liga titles for the first time since 2008 hang in the balance. Further skepticism comes from Los Blancos’ disastrous league record against fellow top-eight rivals this season, with the reigning holders only winning two of their nine such fixtures in 2024/25 (D4, L3).

In the meantime, Rayo Vallecano’s quest to secure European qualification for the first time since 2000/01 remains firmly on track despite taking just one point from their last three league outings (D1, L2). Indeed, the visitors sit only one place shy of the top six, trailing sixth-placed Betis by two points. However, they must address their embarrassing form against top-eight teams this season to increase their qualification hopes (D4, L5). Despite facing long odds, Rayo boss Inigo Perez can draw heart from avoiding defeat in both H2Hs against Real Madrid (D2), including a memorable 3-3 stalemate in the reverse fixture.