Real Madrid – Rayo Vallecano: Must bounce back at the Bernabéu 
Sunday afternoon, Real host Rayo Vallecano with a clear target: a sixth straight La Liga win and to stay glued to Barcelona in the title race. Madrid sit second, a point off the top. Rayo are sliding dangerously toward the drop, now 16th.
Real must shrug off the European hammering 
It’s been a brutal week for Arbeloa’s side. That 4-2 loss to Benfica in the Champions League stung — not just for how they played but for the fallout. Real dropped out of the top eight and will have to face a playoff against Benfica again. Still, domestically they’ve been ruthless. Five wins on the trot — Alavés, Sevilla, Betis, Levante, Villarreal — and the team is very much in the title fight. If Barcelona win Saturday, Madrid could kick off this game four points behind, which makes a win compulsory. History favors them: 33 wins in 47 meetings, 119 goals scored. But recent years tell a different story — just two victories in the last seven clashes.
Rayo Vallecano: a season getting messy 
Rayo held Real to a 0-0 at the Camp earlier this season, but they arrive here on much shakier ground. A 3-1 loss to Osasuna, a defeat at Vigo before that, and the table keeps slipping. With 22 points from 21 games, Íñigo Pérez’s men sit just one point above Mallorca, the first team in the drop zone. Their big problem is away form: seven defeats in 11 on the road, only nine goals scored away from Vallecas. Rayo haven’t won at the Bernabéu since 1996. Even though four of the last five meetings ended level, this looks a steep ask right now.
Likely line-ups
Real Madrid :
Courtois ; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras ; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham ; Rodrygo, Mbappé, Vinicius
Rayo Vallecano :
Batalla ; Balliu, Lejeune, Ciss, Chavarría ; Palazón, Valentín, Díaz ; Akhomach, De Frutos, Álvaro García
Football Prediction Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid to win + over 2.5 goals
Rayo usually serve up lively games, but Real will be desperate to make amends after their European disappointment.
With the firepower Arbeloa can pick from, it’s hard to see anything other than a Madrid win in an open match.
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