Real Madrid Aim to Boost Title Push Against Struggling Rayo Vallecano
League form favours Los Blancos as relegation-threatened Rayo visit the Bernabéu
Real Madrid, dominant on the domestic front, will look to strengthen their La Liga title credentials when they welcome a struggling Rayo Vallecano side hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Team news and form
After dramatically missing out on a Champions League top-eight finish following a 4-2 defeat to Benfica, Real Madrid must quickly refocus on league matters as they continue to apply pressure on leaders Barcelona.
There are encouraging signs for Los Blancos domestically. They arrive into this fixture on a five-game winning streak in La Liga, including two victories under interim head coach Álvaro Arbeloa. Each of their last four league wins has come by a margin of at least two goals, and another would mark their longest such run since 2017.
Real’s dominance against teams currently in the bottom nine further boosts confidence, having dropped points just once in those fixtures this season (W9, D1). Victory here would temporarily send them top of the table and maintain momentum in the title race.
Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, approach this match under increasing pressure. Back-to-back league defeats last weekend have left them just one point above the relegation zone, with a lower points tally at this stage than in any of their previous five La Liga campaigns.
Those losses form part of a worrying sequence of just one win in 11 league matches (D5, L5), although one of the draws came in the goalless reverse fixture against Real earlier this season. Their away form adds to the concern, with only Alavés collecting fewer away points across the last five matchdays — Rayo managing just one.
Head-to-head
Real Madrid are currently enjoying their longest-ever unbeaten home run against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga (W13, D2). Overall, Rayo have lost 32 of 45 league meetings with Real, more than against any other opponent in their top-flight history.
Stats and trends
- Six of Real Madrid’s nine home league wins this season have been by two or more goals.
- Real are the only La Liga side with a 100% record when scoring first this season (W15).
- Exactly one first-half goal has been scored in six of Rayo’s last eight league matches.
- Rayo have conceded the joint-most away goals in the second half this season (13).
One to watch and absences
Kylian Mbappé has now opened the scoring 21 times in La Liga since the start of last season, more than any player across Europe’s top five leagues during that period.
For Rayo, Jorge de Frutos could be heading for his most prolific top-flight campaign — he has scored in five matches this season, with four of those goals opening the scoring.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is close to returning for Real Madrid but is unlikely to feature here, while Rayo are not expected to report any new injury concerns.
