Real Madrid will look to bounce back from a midweek Champions League defeat when they host Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday. The team sits just a point behind leaders Barcelona, while Rayo aims to end a three-match losing streak. Manager Alvaro Arbeloa faces selection dilemmas amid injuries and suspensions.
Real Madrid's recent 4-2 loss to Benfica in the Champions League has left the squad under pressure. The defeat, which dropped them into the play-offs for the knockout stage, featured two goals from Kylian Mbappé but was marred by a stoppage-time header from Benfica's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. Mbappé called the goal "embarrassing" and questioned his teammate's desire, signaling internal frustrations.
Under manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who took over after Xabi Alonso's brief tenure, Madrid had shown promise with wins against Levante, Monaco, and Villarreal. However, the Benfica match echoed earlier tensions, including an angry reaction from Arda Guler after his substitution. Currently a point behind Barcelona—who face Elche on Saturday—the gap could widen to four points before kickoff.
Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, has stumbled with consecutive losses to Alavés in the Copa del Rey and league defeats to Celta Vigo and Osasuna. Despite this, they hold a solid recent record against Madrid, with only two losses in their last seven encounters. The reverse fixture in November ended in a 0-0 draw.
Injuries plague Madrid: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, and Antonio Rüdiger are out. Rodrygo and Raúl Asencio were sent off against Benfica, forcing Arbeloa to choose between Rodrygo or Franco Mastantuono on the right flank. Predicted lineup: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Guler, Tchouaméni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappé, Vinícius Jr.
For Rayo, Andrei Rațiu returns from injury to potentially trouble Vinícius Jr., while Abdul Mumin remains sidelined but Iván Balliu could feature. Their predicted side: Batalla; Rațiu, Lejeune, Cissé, Chavarría; Palazón, Valentín, Díaz; Akhomach, De Frutos, A. García.
Historically, Madrid has won 33 of 47 matches against Rayo, who last triumphed at the Bernabéu in 1996. The game starts at 1 p.m. local time and will be broadcast in the UK on Premier Sports 2.
