Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways in La Liga when they host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday night.
Having dropped points against Real Betis last time out, Real Madrid will be eager to secure all three points against Rayo Vallecano in front of their own fans at the Santiago Bernabeu. Meanwhile, Vallecano will be hoping to script an upset, having secured the first win of their campaign last time out.
The home team are third on the table with nine points in their four outings. While they started the campaign in fine fashion and impressed in their first three outings, Betis got the better of them last weekend. Despite dominating the game and creating chances, they were wasteful in front of goal and ended up paying for it.
However, they did bounce back against Inter Milan in the Champions League midweek. It wasn’t the best performance, but they did get the job done. Mourinho’s men will be hoping to build on it.
Meanwhile, the visitors are 14th on the table with four points in four outings. While they had a very disappointing start to the season with just one point in their first three games, Vallecano bounced back and secured all three points against Racing Santander last time out.
They had to dig deep to get the desired result in a game that saw them reduced to 9 men by the time the whistle blew. While they will be confident about their chances, going up against Los Blancos in their backyard is never an easy task. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Los Blancos remain without the services of Eder Militao (thigh), Ferland Mendy (ligament), Raul Asencio (muscle), Thiago Pitarch (knee), Endrick (muscle), and Rodrygo (cruciate ligament) due to injury.
However, Aurelien Tchouameni is already back in action and should make another cameo from the bench. Meanwhile, Andriy Lunin should be back in the squad after missing the inter game because of illness.
The team in white have a massive boost as Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, and Eduardo Camavinga are all back available after suspension.
Real Madrid are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Thibaut Courtois starting between the sticks. Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella should feature as the full-backs, while Ibrahima Konate is likely to partner Dean Huijsen in the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva should form the double pivot. The duo will look to control possession and dictate the tempo of the game.
Arda Guler and Vinicius Junior are expected to occupy the wide areas, providing width to their attacks, while Jude Bellingham could take up the number ten role behind Kylian Mbappe, who will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Bernardo; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
The visitors will be without quite a few key players, which could cause problems for them. Augusto Batalla (leg), Jozhua Vertrouwd (hamstring), Luiz Felipe (thigh) and Isi Palazon (muscle) are all out injured, while Fran Perez and Jorge de Frutos are both suspended because of the red card they received last time out.
Meanwhile, Marash Kumbulla remains a doubt because of a muscle issue.
The visitors should also line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Dani Cardenas will continue to take charge in goal. Andrei Ratiu and Adria Pedrosa should feature as the full-backs, while Florian Lejeune is likely to partner Pathe Ciss in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Unai Lopez, Oscar Valentin and Pedro Diaz should form the central midfield trio. The three midfielders will have a lot of defensive work to do against a star-studded Real Madrid attack.
Giorgi Tsitaishvili and Alvaro Garcia are expected to occupy the wide areas, providing width to their attacks, while Sergio Camello will lead the line for Rayo Vallecano and try to make the most of the chances that come his way.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Cardenas; Ratiu, Lejeune, Ciss, Pedrosa; Lopez, Valentin, Diaz; Tsitaishvili, Camello, A Garcia
Guler has made a promising start to the new campaign, having contributed towards two goals in his four appearances so far. While he is primarily listed as a right-winger, the 21-year-old has been much more than a traditional wide player for Real Madrid.
He has regularly drifted into central areas and has shown his creativity from deeper positions, while also getting into dangerous areas around the opposition box. Guler has already established himself as one of the more creative players in Mourinho’s side and will look to make his presence felt once again.
Real Madrid will be the clear favourites at the Santiago Bernabeu, particularly after their strong start to the season and their impressive home record. Mourinho’s men have plenty of attacking quality and should be able to create a number of chances against a Rayo side that have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 10 matches.
Rayo Vallecano will be encouraged by their first win of the campaign, but keeping Real Madrid’s forwards quiet for 90 minutes will be a major challenge. The visitors could find the back of the net, but the home side’s superior quality should ultimately prove decisive. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.
