Venue: Estadio del Rayo Vallecano
Date: 03/02/2016
Kick-off: 08:00 PM GMT / 3:00 PM EST
Match
Rayo Vallecano News
Rayo Vallecano have not been able to consolidate on their promising season from last year and are set to be embroiled in a battle against the drop during the current campaign.
Quite astonishingly, Vallecano have drawn five of their last seven matches with the identical score line of 2-2 and despite their lack of victories, manager Paco Jémez would gladly take another 2-2 draw on Thursday night as they prepare to square off against a rampant Barcelona outfit.
Injury Doubts: Javi Guerra, David Cobeno, Tono, Razvan Rat, Patrick Ebert, Pablo Hernandez, Miku
Rayo Vallecano Probable Lineup: Juan Carlos, Zé Castro, Tito, Diego Llorente, Iturra, Roberto Trashorras, Piti, Quini, Adri Embarba, Manucho, Bebé
Barcelona News
Barcelona managed to solidify their grip at the top of the table following a hard fought 2-1 victory over Sevilla last time out but Atletico Madrid are maintaining pressure on them and the Catalan giants most certainly cannot afford to get complacent as of yet.
Now Barcelona prepare for a trip to the Estadio del Rayo Vallecano to square off against Rayo in midweek and although overwhelming favourites heading into the clash, Luis Enrique’s men will surely need to play well in order to grab the three points on the night.
Injury Doubts: Rafinha, Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets, Dani Alves (Suspended)
Barcelona Probable Lineup: Bravo; Alba, Pique, Mascherano, Vidal; Rakitic, Turan, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
Prediction
Barcelona have claimed 10 consecutive victories over Rayo Vallecano and it is clear to see that the champions head into the clash as favourites.
While Vallecano have shown in recent times that they are capable of giving the top teams a rough ride, Barcelona are simply too strong and should be able to claim a comfortable victory on the night.
Rayo Vallecano 1 – 3 Barcelona
Comments
Sarad Bade Shrestha
Hailing from the beautiful Himalayan nation of Nepal, I am an avid football follower with an enormous passion for the world game. I believe that nothing in the world can match the emotional roller coaster which fans experience while supporting their beloved teams. Founder & Owner of TheEaglesFC.com