Rayo Vallecano will welcome Real Madrid to the Estadio de Vallecas this weekend as the two play out a Madrid derby with both of them in the midst of very contrasting forms in La Liga as Madrid sit top with Vallecano slipping down into 11th.
Upon entering back into La Liga at the start of this season, a bit of optimism was flowing around Madrid with Atletico Madrid the reigning champions and Los Franjirrojos returning to the league to make it three names from Madrid in the Spanish top flight.
☕ #HappyThursday, madridistas! ☕ pic.twitter.com/INeWxUgYX1— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 24, 2022
☕ #HappyThursday, madridistas! ☕ pic.twitter.com/INeWxUgYX1
The signing of Radamel Falcao stunned La Liga too, and before he and his side knew it, he had five league goals and Vallecano were in fourth.
Falcao would score in victories over the likes of Barcelona, but fast forward to the end of February, and fans have rapidly been brought back down to earth.
Currently, last season’s Segunda Division play-off champions are sat in 11th and on a winless streak stretching four games in all competitions, while they haven't won in La Liga since the middle of December.
The only wins in 2022 have come in the Copa del Rey as they beat Girona, Mirandes, and Mallorca, but they did also fall to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of the semi-finals to Real Betis recently.
In total, it’s now four defeats in a row for Vallecano and a winless run of six games in the league where they conceded 12 goals and scored just once.
Madrid, however, sit comfortably at the top of the table following their 3-0 demolition over Deportivo Alaves which has extended their lead at the top to six points over second-placed Sevilla.
Madrid themselves have had a bit of a hiccup in 2022 also, as they lost in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals to Athletic Club, while also drawing with Elche and Villarreal.
Furthermore, following losses in 2022 to Getafe and Paris Saint-Germain mean Madrid have won only three times in La Liga this calendar year.
The form of Vallecano has been exceptionally alarming as they have managed to drop out of a battle for the Champions League spots and end up outside of the top half of the table all within just two months.
With this in mind, it’s tough to see how they have a glorious day in Madrid over their local rivals and their losing ways are set to continue. Forebet predicts Madrid to roll their neighbours over here and win the game in a clash that sees over 2.5 goals.