FC Barcelona are on a mission to win the league again after Real Madrid secured their 36th league title last season. Barcelona had gone through a lot of ups and downs under Xavi Hernandez. And after tons of drama, they sacked Xavi and appointed former Bayern and Germany coach Hansi Flick.
“The goal in Barcelona should always be to win the league,” Flick declared his goal for this season.
However, Hansi Flick is famous for attacking football and is slowly applying this theory to Barcelona. Barcelona have won their first two league games, scoring four goals. “Sure, it’s a long road, but we have started well, although everything can change quickly. Now we are happy about our start and we are confident. We are not looking ahead to May, our focus is to keep momentum in the next game,” Hansi Flick said in the press conference.
Now the Catalan club is all set to play away from home when they visit Estadio de Vallecas to face off against Rayo Vallecano. Rayo Vallecano have also started well in the league, getting four points out of six. They stand in 8th with two points behind Barcelona. Can they make a stunning win tonight when they welcome Barcelona?
Stats & Facts
- Historically, Barcelona have a great record against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. But Rayo Vallecano have defeated Barcelona twice in their last six league meetings.
- Rayo Vallecano are unbeaten in their last three home meetings with Barcelona.
- Barcelona have scored 119 goals in their 42 league games against Rayo Vallecano. Only against Levante do they have a higher goal ratio in this competition.
- Before the start of the new season, Barcelona lost three games in a row.
Team News
Rayo defender Andrei Ratiu is still out of the squad due to a muscular problem. Apart from him, the home side has no more injury issues ahead of the match. However, changes will likely come as Isi Palazon replaces Oscar Trejo in the No.10 position.
As for Barcelona, they have been struggling with tons of injuries. They are still missing Andreas Christensen, Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi due to their respective injuries.
Barcelona have signed Dani Olmo during the transfer window but has not registered yet due to their financial issue. Therefore, he is not likely to feature tonight against Rayo Vallecano.
Possible Lineup for Rayo Vallecano:
Cardenas; Balliu, Lejeune, Mumin, Espino; Valentin, Ciss; De Frutos, Palazon, Embarba; Camello
Possible Lineup for Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, F Lopez, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Prediction: Vallecano 0-2 Barcelona
Under the new manager, Barcelona have made a strong start. A win against Vallecano would take Barcelona to the top of the league table. Although Rayo Vallecano are the home side, Barcelona are still the favorite in this match. Additionally, Barcelona’s goal machine Robert Lewandowski is in superb form. He has already scored three goals in just two matches. Therefore, it should not be difficult for Barcelona to beat Rayo Vallecano tonight.
Betfair Odds
Vallecano: 5.37
Draw: 3.85
Barcelona: 1.68
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