Rayo Vallecano vs. Real Madrid: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
So let's do it all again, shall we?
Just three days after La Liga's trio of barely separable title rivals went at it one by one across a single evening, Saturday brings with it much the same affair. At 4 p.m. (local time), Real Madrid tackle Rayo Vallecano; at 6:15 p.m., Atletico Madrid host Malaga; at 8:30 p.m., Barcelona welcome Sporting Gijon.
As sequences go, it's massive. Again.
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On Wednesday, the league heavyweights entered a night that had a compelling feel to it due to the unusually congested kick-off times. Going in, the table read Barcelona 76 points, Atletico 76 and Madrid 75; the anticipation was for swings and drama, for goals at one site to change the equation at another.
Instead, though, what followed was something more routine: Barcelona thrashed Deportivo La Coruna, 8-0, Atletico did their "thing" to beat Athletic Bilbao, 1-0, and Madrid continued their hot streak to defeat Villarreal, 3-0.
As you were then, lads.
For all three, the equation hasn't really changed. Winning every game will almost certainly be necessary to lift the title, just now there's one less left to win. That probably favours Barcelona as things stand, but in kicking off first on Saturday, Madrid have the opportunity to apply some pressure on their rivals and temporarily jump ahead.
Straightforward against 16th-placed Rayo?
Not exactly.
It's often said at this time of year that you're better off facing an opponent with little to play for than one fighting for their life, and that's precisely what Rayo are doing.
Last weekend, after his side defeated high-flying Villarreal 2-1, manager Paco Jemez said "this could be 90 per cent of salvation," per the Guardian's Sid Lowe. Given that around them Getafe and Granada had lost and Sporting Gijon had drawn, it looked like a reasonable assessment.
But things change rapidly at the bottom.
On Wednesday, Rayo saw Malaga pinch a 91st-minute equaliser right when they looked destined for a second straight win. A point wasn't a bad result, but then Getafe, Granada and Sporting all won, leaving Rayo just three points clear of the drop zone in a furious battle for survival.
Now it's a rampant Madrid they face amid that battle.
Last time these two sides from the capital met just prior to Christmas, a truly bizarre afternoon unfolded. Gripped by institutional tension, muddled, lacking an identity, Madrid went 2-1 down inside 12 minutes. The Bernabeu fumed. The mood was icier than ever. Then Rayo saw two players sent off. Madrid responded with nine goals for a 10-2 victory that, while emphatic, didn't solve anything.
"It's been a long time since I've seen anything so weird and embarrassing," said Jemez afterward. "It shouldn't happen anywhere. There were moments when it just seemed surreal. It's shameful, a disgrace."
He finished a typical Jemez outburst with: "Happy Christmas—including the ref."
The Rayo manager has never been one to mince his words, and because of that, Saturday's clash might just carry added edge.
Back in 2014 when Jemez was asked about Zinedine Zidane coaching Real Madrid's youth team, Castilla, before completing his badges, his assessment was blunt: "I don't consider him a colleague because he hasn't got his licence," Jemez said of Zidane. "I don't know why I bothered studying to earn my licence when apparently you can coach in Spain without one."
It wasn't surprising, then, that the Real Madrid boss was asked on Friday if this was a grudge match. "No," said Zidane. "Tomorrow I'll concentrate on what I have to do and nothing else."
What he has to do is overcome a fighting, desperate Rayo and put pressure on his team's title rivals.
And he has to do it without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Match Details
Date: Saturday, April 23
Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. EDT/4 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio de Vallecas, Madrid
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK—delayed broadcast), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Form Lines
| D: 1-1 vs. Malaga | W: 3-0 vs. Villarreal |
| W: 2-1 vs. Villarreal | W: 5-1 vs. Getafe |
| L: 0-1 vs. Athletic Bilbao | W: 3-0 vs. Wolfsburg |
| W: 2-0 vs. Getafe | W: 4-0 vs. Eibar |
| D: 2-2 vs. Granda | L: 0-2 vs. Wolfsburg |
| D: 1-1 vs. Eibar | W: 2-1 vs. Barcelona |
Team News
For Rayo Vallecano, the on-loan central defender Diego Llorente is unavailable against his parent club, while Ze Castro is also in doubt after leaving the pitch late in the first half against Malaga on Wednesday. Consequently, both Antonio Amaya and Jose Angel Crespo could come into the side and Tito and Quini should flank them.
In midfield, Raal Baena and the ever-present Roberto Trashorras should form Jemez's central pairing, but the absence of leading scorer Javi Guerra could force the Rayo boss to deviate away from the two-striker system he's used recently and opt for a 4-2-3-1 with Jozabed playing behind Miku.
For Real Madrid, the major news, of course, is the absence of Ronaldo, who suffered a strain to his right thigh in the dying stages of the win over Villarreal.
As a result, Gareth Bale, who's recovered from the back complaint that kept him sidelined in midweek, could fill Ronaldo's position on the left, with Lucas Vazquez likely to continue on the right.
Elsewhere, Dani Carvajal will be missing in defence once more, meaning Danilo will continue at right-back, while Raphael Varane could start alongside Sergio Ramos again.
There will also be at least one change in midfield with Casemiro suspended for the trip to Rayo. The likely outcome is that Toni Kroos will take up the anchor role, with Isco or James Rodriguez coming in to the left-sided position.
Predicted Lineups
In the Spotlight
Odds, per Odds Shark
Rayo Vallecano: 15-2
Draw: 9-2
Real Madrid: 1-3
