Barcelona continue their bid to rival Real Madrid for the La Liga title on Tuesday night when they visit Rayo Vallecano.
The Blaugrana have won their opening two games to sit behind only Real Betis on goal difference in Spain’s top flight, securing 2-1 victories over Valencia and Athletic Club to help Hansi Flick make a successful start to his stint in charge.
They take on a similarly unbeaten Vallecano, who have made headlines in recent days by bringing in 2014 World Cup star James Rodriguez on a free transfer.
Here’s 90min’s preview to Tuesday night’s La Liga clash.
Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
| Rayo Vallecano | Barcelona |
|---|---|
| Getafe 0-0 Rayo Vallecano – 24/08/24 | Barcelona 2-1 Athletic Club – 24/08/24 |
| Real Sociedad 1-2 Rayo Vallecano – 18/08/24 | Valencia 1-2 Barcelona – 17/08/24 |
| Wolves 0-1 Rayo Vallecano – 10/08/24 | Barcelona 0-3 Monaco – 12/08/24 |
| Bournemouth 1-0 Rayo Vallecano – 04/08/24 | Barcelona 2-2 Milan – 07/08/24 |
| Herenveen 5-0 Rayo Vallecano – 26/07/24 | Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona – 04/08/24 |
| Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player, LaLigaTV |
| United States | fuboTV, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, ESPN App |
| Canada | TSN+ |
Rayo Vallecano have brought James Rodriguez back to Spain, snapping up the former Real Madrid midfielder as a free agent.
He may not be involved on Tuesday night, but there’s still plenty of attacking bite in the home side which includes right winger Isi Palazon.
Rayo Vallecano predicted lineup vs Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Cardenas; Balliu, Lejeune, Mumin, Espino; Ciss, Valentin; Palazon, Lopez, Embarba; Camello.
The big news for Barca is Dani Olmo could finally make his debut after La Liga reportedly accepted his registration, with exits for the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Clement Lenglet helping clear the logjam.
His availability will come as a big boost for manager Flick, who is already without midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Gavi due to injury.
Centre-back Ronald Araujo has been joined on the sidelines by Andreas Christensen, who is out for a month due to an Achilles problem.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Rayo Vallecano (4-2-3-1): Ter Roasting; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Bernal, Peter; Yamal, Elm, Raphinha; Lewandowski.
Barca can have few complaints at their start to the campaign, with more than a few nerves emerging after the heavy pre-season defeat to Monaco.
However, Flick has refocused his players, who have ground out back-to-back 2-1 victories to give them an early two-point lead over current holders Real Madrid in the table.
It could be a tight encounter, with Vallecano frequently pushing Barca all the way and even enjoying a good recent record against the Catalan giants, but the visitors could end up departing with all three points once again.
