Two clubs in opposite halves of the Spanish Liga table will do battle today in a league match between Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano. The first-division clash scheduled for 5 p.m. ET will be held at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid and can be live streamed here free.
How the mighty have fallen. In a span of three days, Real Madrid have gone from the top of the league to third. Another defeat to a quality side in the top half of the table has removed their destiny from their own hands, something manager Carlo Ancelotti cannot explain (h/t to the Guardian). "I am not happy with this," Ancelotti said. "It is difficult to explain as Real are one of the strongest teams in the world and we will continue to show this until the end of the season," he added.
"In the first game against Atlético [Madrid] we deserved to lose and then in the first half against Barcelona we didn't compete well. But since then the last two games, away to Atlético and then in Sunday's match, they were even."
"It is not a case of looking for who was responsible, or to blame for the defeat," said Ancelotti. "It came after a lot of matches where we didn't lose. In football you cannot always explain everything by looking for the culprit. The team was fine before the loss and it will be afterwards."
Will Real Madrid return to form when Rayo Vallecano visits the Santiago Bernabéu? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Real Madrid's Angel Di María was sorely missed in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Sevilla. The 26-year-old has been an offensive stalwart this season, contributing three goals and 10 assists.
Real Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): López; Marcelo, Varane, Ramos, Carvajal; María, Illarramendi, Modric; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
Rayo Vallecano's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Rat, Gálvez, Castro, Arbilla; Trashorras, Ñiguez; Falqué, Bueno, Rochina; Larrivey
Spanish League Table
|
Rnk |
Team |
MP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
+/- |
Pts |
|||
|
1 |
Atlético Madrid |
30 |
23 |
4 |
3 |
67 |
21 |
46 |
73 |
|||
|
2 |
FC Barcelona |
30 |
23 |
3 |
4 |
88 |
25 |
63 |
72 |
|||
|
3 |
Real Madrid |
30 |
22 |
4 |
4 |
81 |
32 |
49 |
70 |
|||
|
4 |
Athletic Club |
30 |
16 |
8 |
6 |
52 |
32 |
20 |
56 |
|||
|
5 |
Sevilla FC |
30 |
14 |
8 |
8 |
55 |
45 |
10 |
50 |
|||
|
6 |
Real Sociedad |
30 |
14 |
7 |
9 |
53 |
43 |
10 |
49 |
|||
|
7 |
Villarreal CF |
30 |
14 |
6 |
10 |
50 |
36 |
14 |
48 |
|||
|
8 |
RCD Espanyol |
30 |
11 |
7 |
12 |
34 |
35 |
-1 |
40 |
|||
|
9 |
Valencia CF |
30 |
11 |
7 |
12 |
43 |
42 |
1 |
40 |
|||
|
10 |
Levante UD |
30 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
27 |
38 |
-11 |
37 |
|||
|
11 |
Granada CF |
30 |
10 |
4 |
16 |
28 |
40 |
-12 |
34 |
|||
|
12 |
Celta de Vigo |
30 |
9 |
6 |
15 |
33 |
44 |
-11 |
33 |
|||
|
13 |
Rayo Vallecano |
30 |
10 |
3 |
17 |
34 |
63 |
-29 |
33 |
|||
|
14 |
Málaga CF |
30 |
8 |
8 |
14 |
29 |
38 |
-9 |
32 |
|||
|
15 |
Elche CF |
30 |
7 |
10 |
13 |
24 |
41 |
-17 |
31 |
|||
|
16 |
UD Almería |
30 |
8 |
6 |
16 |
33 |
57 |
-24 |
30 |
|||
|
17 |
Osasuna |
30 |
8 |
5 |
17 |
25 |
51 |
-26 |
29 |
|||
|
18 |
Getafe CF |
30 |
7 |
7 |
16 |
26 |
47 |
-21 |
28 |
|||
|
19 |
Real Valladolid |
30 |
5 |
12 |
13 |
31 |
50 |
-19 |
27 |
|||
|
20 |
Real Betis |
30 |
5 |
7 |
18 |
26 |
59 |
-33 |
22 |
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