APERÇU | Rayo Vallecano contre FC Barcelone

Barcelona on the Verge of Liga Title

Barcelona is closing in on the Liga title with just eight games remaining and an 11 point lead over Real Madrid. The team’s 1-0 defeat of Atlético Madrid and Girona’s 4-2 defeat of Real Madrid have virtually ended every realistic chance of the all-whites closing the gap on the runaway leaders. However, Barcelona still needs to keep collecting points, and Wednesday brings a tricky away trip to Rayo Vallecano, one of just three teams that have managed to avoid defeat at Spotify Camp Nou this league season.

Rayo Vallecano: A Tough Opponent

Rayo Vallecano has spent most of the 2022-23 season somewhere around the middle of the table. However, they have managed to avoid defeat at Spotify Camp Nou this league season, and Barcelona has not only failed to beat them in the last three games but also hasn’t scored any goals either. Last season, Rayo did the double over the Catalans, winning 1-0 home and away, and the game at Spotify Camp Nou on the opening day of the current season ended 0-0.

Barcelona’s remaining injury concerns are Ousmane Dembélé, Andreas Christensen, and Sergi Roberto. However, captain Sergio Busquets picked up a fifth yellow card at the weekend and will sit this one out through suspension. Reserve and youth team players Pablo Torre, Chadi Riad, Arnau Tenas, and Lamine Yamal have all been included in the 21-man travelling party. Rayo is missing Radamel Falcao, who is out for at least the next three weeks.

Conclusion

Barcelona needs to win against Rayo Vallecano to extend their lead to 14 points. If they can avoid conceding, it would set a new club record of 24 clean sheets in a single league season for Ter Stegen. Barcelona also needs just one more 1-0 victory to match the all-time record for wins by that score in a Liga season. As a coach, Ronald Koeman hasn’t beaten Rayo yet, and he expects a tough game on a much smaller pitch than normal.

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Keywords: Barcelona, Liga title, Rayo Vallecano, clean sheets, 1-0 victory, Ronald Koeman.