Hello everyone and welcome along to this Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano live blog. It’s a battle between two sides who started LaLiga Santander Matchday 13 in European qualification positions, so Real Madrid must be wary of Radamel Falcao and co. in this one. We’ll have updates from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in this live blog, so follow along with us this Saturday evening.
Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano LIVE – Latest Updates
This is the very start of our Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano live blog, with the entries nearest the top the most recent ones. We’ll have build-up news and then minute-by-minute updates too.
19:00 GMT: No Falcao in Rayo Vallecano’s starting line-up
The big news from the Rayo Vallecano team sheet is that Radamel Falcao doesn’t start this game. Instead, Randy Nteka has been chosen by Andoni Iraola to lead the line. The complete Rayo starting XI is: Stole Dimitrievski; Ivan Balliu, Esteban Saveljich, Alejandro Catena, Fran Garcia; Santi Comesana, Oscar Valentin, Oscar Trejo; Isi Palazon, Alvaro Garcia, Randy Nteka.
18:50 GMT: Modric out of the squad entirely
There’s no Luka Modric, not even on the bench. The Croatian is a last minute casualty, suffering from a cold, according to RMTV. Eduardo Camavinga is the one starting in his place on the right of midfield.
18:45 GMT: The confirmed Real Madrid starting XI
The Real Madrid starting line-up is out and there’s no Eden Hazard once again. The XI is as follows: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Eduardo Camavinga, Casemiro, Toni Kroos; Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Vinicius.
18:20 GMT: Real Madrid’s closest derby
While Atletico are Real Madrid‘s historic city rivals, Rayo Vallecano are actually based even closer to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu than Atleti. The distance between the stadium in Vallecas and the Bernabeu is 7.2km and the distance between the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano and the Bernabeu is 7.7km.
17:55 GMT: Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano predictions
With just over two hours remaining until the start of Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu, let’s make some predictions about how this match will go. Who do you think will win? Or do you see this one being a draw? Have your say in the below poll.
17:30 GMT: The result of the other Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano
The women’s teams of Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano also met this Saturday, facing off at Valdebebas on Saturday afternoon. Real Madrid won that game 1-0, with Esther Gonzalez scoring the only goal.
17:05 GMT: What are the Real Madrid vs Rayo predicted line-ups?
The big line-up question for Real Madrid is whether or not Eden Hazard will start. There is a good chance he will and, if so, the Real Madrid starting XI could be: Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Hazard, Benzema, Vinicius. As for Rayo Vallecano, they’re expected to start as follows: Dimitrievski; Balliu, Saveljich, Catena, Fran Garcia; Comesana, Valentin, Trejo; Palazon, Alvaro Garcia, Falcao.
16:50 GMT: When does Real Madrid vs Rayo start and where can you watch it?
This Saturday’s match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano kicks off at 20:00 GMT, the local time in the UK, where it’ll be shown on LaLigaTV. For those living in the USA, you can tune in at 16:00 ET / 13:00 PT and you can watch on ESPN+’s streaming services. More Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano start times are outlined below.
