Atletico Madrid vs. Rayo Vallecano: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
The upcoming second leg in the Copa del Rey between Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano sees two polar opposites in managers: one at the top of La Liga, one almost at the bottom. One consistent in his message and his manner, the other a reactive, emotive respondent to matches and questions alike.
Perhaps most tellingly in terms of the match ahead and the team who might progress, one is structured, determined and full of fighting spirit with his teams and lineups, and the other is open, offensive-minded and has been disappointed with the level of performance of late.
Diego Simeone resides high at the top of Spain's league standing and will believe his side are in with a running of claiming further silverware this season, quite possibly in the Copa del Rey, even if he does not publicly say as much.
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".@Simeone: "We take one day and one match at a time. I can't see anything further than that." #AtletiRayo #GoAtleti pic.twitter.com/hyMLTCnwrm
— Atleti English (@atletienglish) January 13, 2016"
With Real Madrid out, Deportivo the first surprise exit to lower league sides and Barcelona giving a chance to the fringe players of the squad in the Copa, there are few clubs able to withstand Atletico's team if they focus their attentions on the cup competition.
Paco Jemez, on the other hand, needs some sort of result, and fast. His side are on an awful run, without a win over their last eight in all competitions, and he has already seen plenty of his Liga co-managers depart clubs this season for less. Nuno, Pepe Mel and Rafa Benitez are three of the more recent departures from La Liga, from Valencia, Real Betis and Real Madrid, respectively.
The Rayo boss has long been touted as an entertainer, a manager who has managed to get a small club playing fast, exciting football—but the results have to come with it. This season, they have not. Rayo have won only four of their 19 Liga games, have conceded more than any other club and, even if they beat Atletico, won't be considered among the front-runners for Copa success.
Likewise, an elimination won't be the be-all and end-all of their season, but they do need a ray of positivity to come from somewhere.
The Calderon would be an excellent place to find that spark, but Atleti have plans of their own, and this particular road leads to a title they can very much win.
Date: Thursday, January 14
Time: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Vicente Calderon, Madrid
TV Info: TVE La1 (ESP), beIN Sports en Espanol (USA)
Live Stream: LaLigaTVCopa (UK), beIN SPORTS CONNECT (USA)
The Teams
An exciting, if not particularly quality-laden, first leg leaves this return fixture at the Calderon delicately poised, with both teams still in with a chance of progression even if Atletico are the favourites.
Atleti can be expected to rotate their side somewhat from the weekend's game, where they stayed top of the table in La Liga with a solid 2-0 win at Celta Vigo, but they have strength in depth to ensure there is still plenty of ability on show. Simeone's team have won three in a row to be two points clear at the top, though Barcelona beneath them have a match in hand.
In the Copa del Rey, Atletico saw off Reus Deportiu 3-1 on aggregate in the previous round.
Rayo, meanwhile, had to see off top-flight opposition in the shape of Getafe, with a second-half Lass Bangoura goal in the second leg enough to progress on away goals, 3-3 after the two games despite a 3-1 loss in that return fixture.
In league play, things haven't been quite as good; Rayo are 19th, only ahead of Levante by a point, after a run of eight games without a win. A point at home to Real Sociedad after the turn of the year is as good as things have gotten for Rayo recently, and they need to turn things around fast.
With Valencia, Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna all to come after this Atletico match, that's not going to be an easy fix for Jemez.
Team News
Atletico Madrid have almost a fully fit squad to choose from, but striker Fernando Torres suffered an ankle injury during the week and will undergo treatment, per the club website. Tiago is of course also still sidelined with a broken leg.
Defenders Juanfran, Diego Godin and Josema Gimenez have been left out of the match day squad, as has midfielder Augusto Fernandez.
"Squad list (1/2): Moyá, Oblak, Godín, Filipe, Siqueira, Savic, Gámez, Lucas, Koke, Kranevitter... #AtletiRayo #GoAtleti
— Atleti English (@atletienglish) January 13, 2016"
"Squad list (2/2): Óliver, Gabi, Saúl, Carrasco, Thomas, Griezmann, Jackson, Correa and Vietto #AtletiRayo #GoAtleti
— Atleti English (@atletienglish) January 13, 2016"
Rayo Vallecano are still without a handful of players, with left-back Razvan Rat still sidelined and, having had an operation, likely to be out until March. Goalkeepers Tono and David Cobeno are similarly injured, though Juan Carlos replaced Yoel in goal for the first leg.
Zhang Chengdong could again play in midfield if Jemez is of a mind to rotate, but with the match poised evenly, it wouldn't be a surprise to see both managers opt to keep a few more regular starters in place this time.
Possible Lineups
Atletico (4-4-2): Miguel Angel Moya; Jesus Gamez, Stefan Savic, Lucas Hernandez, Guilherme Siqueira; Oliver, Matias Kranevitter, Gabi, Thomas; Jackson Martinez, Angel Correa.
Rayo (4-2-3-1): Juan Carlos; Quini, Tito, Ze Castro, Nacho Martinez; Jozabed, Raul Baena; Lass Bangoura, Roberto Trashorras, Pablo Hernandez; Manucho.
Player to Watch: Oliver Torres, ATM
With Yannick Carrasco and Saul both impressing and scoring over the last couple months, Oliver Torres has been marginalised for Atleti and hasn't made the bench for the team's last two games in La Liga. He started against Rayo in the first leg but failed to have any real impact and was subbed before the hour mark.
After a strong start to the season, Oliver's form quickly faded, and he is finding game time hard to come by at the moment—he's competed for just 231 minutes of Liga and Champions League action since the start of November. The Copa, then, is his chance to re-stake his claim to be involved and rediscover his creative spark.
At his best, the No. 10 can pick gaps in opposing defences, drive infield with the ball and find space between the lines. An opponent such as Rayo should, in theory, be perfect for him to heavily impact the game, but Atleti need the ball for that to happen.
Midfield options are plentiful at Atletico, and Oliver needs a big performance to get himself back into the fold.
Prediction: Atletico 2-0 Rayo
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