La Liga: Neighbours Pop Round for Monday Night Football

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid

Monday night football is a regular occurrence in La Liga and next week sees the champions in town.

That’s because the Spanish and European kings Real Madrid are making the short journey to the Estadio de Vallecas to face Rayo Vallecano.

Fresh from turning on the style to thrash Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday night, the leaders will be confident as they travel to neighbours who lie in ninth place going into the weekend.

Yet they cannot afford to be over confident against opponents who enjoyed a fine 1-0 win at Sevilla last weekend and are now unbeaten in four matches.

Talking Points

Rayo Vallecano are looking to upset La Liga leaders Real Madrid when they face-off — Rayo Vallecano’s Radamel Falcao in action against Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez

Vallecano certainly have nothing to lose and will be aware they have frustrated Real’s arch rivals already this season – on the opening weekend of the campaign, in fact, when a resolute display saw them hold Barcelona in the Nou Camp.

They have enjoyed other La Liga 2022 highlights this term too, not least when a last-gasp penalty denied Atletico Madrid on their own turf.

The hosts will have nothing to lose as they aim to pile domestic frustration on Real, just as they did Barca and Atletico.

Los Blancos have already experienced their own frustration domestically, as shown last weekend when they were held at home by struggling Girona.

When Vinicius Junior scored from close range after good work from Federico Valverde, the majority of fans inside the Santiago Bernabeu crowd expected Real Madrid to go on and win.

However, battling Girona had other ideas, and when Marco Asensio handled in the penalty area, the visitors had a glorious chance to equalise and duly did when Cristhian Stuani netted a spot-kick 10 minutes from time.

Madrid, who hold a one point lead at the top of the league, were desperate for the winner and Toni Kroos overstepped the line when he chopped down Aleix Garcia and received a second yellow card as the game entered stoppage time.

That means the classy German playmaker will be suspended for Monday’s visit, the first of two matches in four days for both sides before club football breaks for the World Cup.

They are also expected to be without the injured duo of Eden Hazard and Aurelien Tchouameni, although newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema could return. The Frenchman has been given time to recover from muscular fatigue after a period which saw Madrid play nine matches in October alone.

Under the management of Andoni Iraola, Vallecano are continuing to compete with the best as they aim to finish higher than the 12^th place they managed last term following promotion.

There have certainly been plenty of positive signs early in this campaign as they bid to make it back-to-back seasons in the top-flight for the first time since 2016.

Their only doubt is Andrés Martín who hopes to be fit following a shoulder injury.

Realistically, Madrid should have too much. But with veteran Falcao leading the line, they will need another disciplined showing defensively to emerge with the points.

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History

This fixture usually goes the way of Madrid who have defeated Vallecano 30 times in the league with a further three draws and five Vallecano successes.

That included a league and cup double last term with Kroos and Benzema the goalscorers before Falcao pulled one back.

It was also close in the return fixture in February when Benzema, who else, scored the only goal seven minutes from time.

One of the rare Vallecano successes came in their top flight meeting in 2019 when a penalty from Adrián Embarba earned victory.

Vallecano have also suffered some really heavy defeats at the Bernabeu and you have to go back to 1996 to when they last won there – a game when a double from Guilherme de Cassio Alves secured a 2-1 success against opponents whose lineup included Raul (their scorer that day), Fernando Hierro, Fernando Redondo, and Michael Laudrup.