Liga Preview: Rayo Vallecano-Real Madrid
The princes meet the paupers as Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid go head to head in the lesser known derby of the capital.
The princes meet the paupers as Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid go head to head in the lesser known derby of the capital.
Rayo tasted defeat last week against Atletico, although they weren't helped by the rash sending-off of Argentine left-back Patricio Graff for a bad tackle from behind. They could, however, feel aggrieved at the referee's decision to award Atletico a 56th minute penalty (converted by Fernando Torres) after Jorge's tumble in the area.
It's been a satisfactory start, though, for Fernando Vazquez' side, with the 1-0 win over Celta Vigo a particular highlight. They may sit in the bottom-half but in truth they lack the squad and resources to punch at any higher weight.
Real are equipped with both the squad and the resources, but just need to find the balance.
Since Ronaldo arrived in town, things haven't looked right. He all too often looks a deserted figure up front, with only Zinedine Zidane giving him consistent service. The Frenchman was, indeed, the only one to shine against Deportivo the other day.
Defensively the Merengues looked solid, but lacked a certain spark higher up the pitch. Claude Makelele and Esteban Cambiasso, fine midfielders that they are, aren't really capable of creating on a regular basis, and the latter had a quiet game last weekend. After originally impressing, the Argentine isn't at the top of his form at present.
Santiago Solari had a fairly effective game against Depor on the left, although one second-half dive in the area deserved a booking. How are referees supposed to tell, when the players make it look so authentic?
FORM GUIDE
Rayo Vallecano's Last Six Matches: WLDWLL
Recent wins over Racing Santander and Celta Vigo have kept the club above the drop zone. The last two matches, though, have seen them beaten by Deportivo and Atletico.
Real Madrid's Last Six Matches: LDDLDW
Real's first win in six games arrived on Wednesday as two goals apiece from Tote and Javier Portillo handed the Merengues a 4-0 win over Oviedo in the cup. Prior to that they were held to draws by AEK, Villarreal and Depor, and beaten by Roma.
LATEST TEAM NEWS
Rayo Vallecano: Vasquez leaves out Quevedo after a bust-up, while Michel, Helder and Tal don't make it either. De Quintana and Pablo Sanz both travel, but Graff is suspended after his red card last weekend.
Real Madrid: the Merengues should be unchanged from last week at the Riazor, with Raul unfit to play. Solari will start on the left, with Zidane playing behind Ronaldo. There was some speculation that Guti may replace Solari, but Del Bosque is unlikely to want to unbalance the side.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Julio Alvarez (Rayo): the young midfielder will be facing Real after being loaned out by the Merengues in the summer. When another Real outcast, Pedro Munitis, faced his old side when playing for Racing Santander the other week, he caused all sorts of problems. Can Alvarez repeat the trick?
Zinedine Zidane (Real): the Frenchman's form has remained solid throughout Real's slump, and Del Boque will again look to him to provide Ronaldo with the ammo which he needs to get his Real career up and running.