Holders Real Madrid travel to Vallecas to face Rayo Vallecano in search of three points which will put them on top of the La Liga table overtaking rivals FC Barcelona.
RVL vs RM Match Details
Date: Saturday, 14 December 2024 / Sunday, 15 December 2024
Time: 21:00 (CET), 01:30 (IST)
Venue: Estadio de Vallecas, Madrid
RVL vs RM Match Preview
Rayo Vallecano ended their three-game losing streak in La Liga by defeating relegation-threatened Valencia, with the only goal of the match scored by Pathé Ciss within seven minutes. It was also their first away victory since beating another side fearing demotion, Real Valladolid in October. Inigo Perez's side are sitting 12th on the La Liga table having acquired 19 points from 15 games and six points ahead of the relegation zone. They are also just two points away from entering the top 10 standings. They have been defensively strong with just 16 conceded although have one the worst attacks in the league with only 15 goals scored. Despite that, the team has failed to score only once in the last seven games in all competitions. Rayo would want to maintain their momentum but face the holders Real Madrid at a time when they have collected just one win from the last five games. However, the hosts have also lost this fixture only once in the last four meetings at home, drawing 1-1 in the previous fixture and winning 3-2 back in November 2022. Los Franjirrojos will tackle Villarreal and Real Betis challenges in back-to-back away battles to round off 2024 so they will be desperate to crucify an injury-hit Los Blancos in the last home game of the year.
After regaining form in La Liga with a 3-0 thrashing of Girona last weekend, Real Madrid did the same continentally by beating Atalanta 3-2 thriller midweek in the League Phase of the Champions League. Kylian Mbappé, who went out injured in the first half and will miss the clash on Saturday, opened the scoring inside 10 minutes with the returning Vinicius Junior retaking the lead after Charles De Ketelaere equalised from the spot on the cusp of half-time. The firing-again Jude Bellingham scored for the fourth consecutive game for the winner as Ademola Lookman halved the deficit for the hosts later but to no avail. With a golden chance to leapfrog Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table after the leaders opened the gates for others in the title race with their recent inconsistent form, Carlo Ancelotti's men will have themselves to blame if they don’t take advantage. Suffering one less defeat than their rivals with a game in hand, Los Blancos hopes to not fall-off again as they look to defend their title for the first time in 16 years.
RVL vs RM Recent Form (all competitions)
RVL: LLLWW
RM: LWLWW
RVL vs RM Recent Form (La Liga)
RVL: WLLLW
RM: WWWLW
RVL vs RM Predicted Lineups
Rayo Vallecano
Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mumin, Chavarria; Ciss, Valentin; De Frutos, Palazon, A Garcia; Nteka
Real Madrid
Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Ceballos; B Diaz, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Rodrygo
RVL vs RM Dream11 Top picks
Captain Pick: Vinicius Jr
Vice-captain Picks: Jude Bellingham, Brahim Diaz
RVL vs RM Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Batalla (Cr - 6, Pts - 88)
DEF: Vazquez (Cr - 6.5, Pts - 300), Lejeune (Cr - 7.5, Pts - 113), Rüdiger (Cr - 8, Pts - 482)
MID: Palazon (Cr - 7.5, Pts - 112), Valverde (Cr - 8, Pts - 117), Bellingham (Cr - 9, Pts - 674), A Garcia (Cr - 8, Pts - 70)
FW: B Diaz (Cr - 7, Pts - 259), Rodrygo (Cr - 7.5, Pts - 410), Vinicius Jr (Cr - 9, Pts - 731)
Rayo Vallecano: 4 players
Real Madrid: 7 Players
Vice-captain: Jude Bellingham
Captain: Vinicius Jr
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid Match Prediction
Real Madrid should come out winners from the clash but Rayo Vallecano at home could give some nervy moments especially the holders having injury problems at the back. We predict a 2-1 win for Los Blancos.
