Barcelona will face Rayo Vallecano from home in Match-Day 24 of La Liga on Monday. Barcelona is in great form and will look to continue the unbeaten streak of this year and will likely give a tough chase for the La Liga top spot.
Closing the Gap Between Leaders
Real Madrid who were first in La Liga dropped crucial points in their last 2 games against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid had a comfortable 10-point lead over Barcelona, but after dropping points, the gap is 2 points.
Barcelona has to keep winning to maintain this gap, Real Madrid has an important fixture in the Champions League as well so things could go either way for the leaders in terms of the League. Rayo is having a great season as they are 6th in La Liga, but Barcelona should treat every La Liga game as a final. The Catalans cannot drop any points in the League if they plan to clinch it.
Expected Lineups
Rayo Vallecano predicted lineup: (4-2-3-1): Batalla; Chavarría, Lejeune, Mumin’ Ratiu; Ciss, Diaz; García, Palazón, De Frutos; Nteka
FC Barcelona predicted lineup vs Rayo Vallecano (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; Balde, Cubarsí, Martínez, Koundé; Pedri, Casadó; Raphinha, Gavi, Yamal; Lewandowski
Fermin Lopez will be absent after his red card against Sevilla.
What to Expect?
Barcelona scored four past Sevilla away from home and Rayo could suffer a similar fate. Rayo has a back-line that is exposed to counter-attacks and Barcelona can easily take advantage of this situation with the form they are in. Both teams have similar clean sheets in La Liga but Barcelona has an upper hand in the attacking front. In my opinion, Barcelona will win 3-1.