Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano meet this Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu in matchday 5 of LaLiga. The white team seeks to react after their defeat in Seville, while Rayo arrives with high morale following their victory against Racing.
The Real Madrid returns to the Santiago Bernabéu this Saturday to host their neighbours, Rayo Vallecano, in matchday 5 of LaLiga EA Sports. The white team needs a victory to keep pace in the title race after losing 1-0 to Real Betis in matchday 4, played on September 4 at the Estadio de La Cartuja. According to goal.com, the match will kick off at 19:00 GMT (21:00 Spanish peninsular time).
In that setback, Madrid created chances with Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, but conceded a goal from Troy Parrott in the 81st minute. Mbappé also saw a penalty saved in stoppage time. The team managed by José Mourinho will be without injured players Eder Militão, Rodrygo, and Ferland Mendy.
The Rayo Vallecano, on the other hand, arrives with renewed confidence after a dramatic 3-2 victory against Racing de Santander in Vallecas on September 5. Andrei Rațiu opened the scoring in the 17th minute, and Sergio Camello netted a brace (43' and 47'). Despite the red cards for Fran Pérez and Jorge de Frutos in the closing minutes, the team held on during stoppage time.
However, Rayo faces the derby with significant absences: goalkeeper Augusto Batalla remains injured, which prompted the loan of Emil Audero from Como on the last day of the transfer window. Isi Palazón is also unavailable due to injury. In recent history, Madrid has not lost to Rayo in the last five league encounters, with two victories and two draws. The last match at the Bernabéu, on February 1, 2026, ended in a 2-1 win for the whites.
Meanwhile, Madrid arrives in good form in LaLiga, with three consecutive victories, including a 4-0 win against Málaga on August 30 and a 4-1 against Real Sociedad. Rayo, in contrast, has only earned one point in three matches, suffering a 5-2 defeat to Barcelona on August 31. The derby promises intensity from the first whistle, with capital pride and vital points at stake.
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