Atletico Madrid will look to further cement their place in the top four of La Liga when they host Rayo Vallecano at Civitas Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday night.
The stunning Civitas Metropolitano stadium will play host to an intriguing La Liga contest on Wednesday night, with Atletico Madrid welcoming Rayo Vallecano. Los Rojiblancos are currently third in the Spanish top-flight table, picking up 44 points from their 21 matches this season, while Vallecano are 13th, boasting 24 points from their opening 21 fixtures of 2023–24.
Since succumbing to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, Atletico Madrid have enjoyed a string of impressive victories, beginning with a 4-2 extra-time triumph over Los Blancos in the Copa del Rey’s last 16. Atleti beat Granada in La Liga before defeating Sevilla 1-0 to advance to the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
The Colchoneros maintained their fine run of results as they picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory over Valencia on Sunday, moving them up to third and two points clear of fifth-placed Athletic Club.
Vallecano, meanwhile, are locked in mid-table obscurity and will head into Wednesday’s encounter against their Madrid neighbours without a win in three matches. Girona knocked Los Franjirrojos out of the cup, while they lost 2-0 at home to Las Palmas in La Liga.
Despite their recent struggles, Rayo Vallecano have created a sizeable eight-point buffer over the bottom three, putting them in a good position to stay in the top flight for a fourth straight season.
Diego Simeone’s troops picked up a thumping 7-0 win when both sides met in the reverse fixture back in August and will be looking to complete a league double over the visitors. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the squads and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid will again be without the services of two first-team players, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Thomas Lemar unavailable for selection due to knee and Achilles injuries, respectively.
The Red and Whites picked up a fresh issue in Sunday’s win over Valencia, with centre-back Jose Maria Gimenez set to be sidelined for up to three weeks after being forced off with a muscle issue.
Head coach Diego Simeone is likely to make a raft of changes due to the quick turnaround between games. Alvaro Morata remains a doubt after he sustained a knock at the weekend, and the Spanish forward may be rested against Rayo with one eye on Sunday’s derby showdown with Real Madrid.
Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann were both impressive against Valencia last time out, and the pair are set to continue in the final third of the field against the strugglers.
The back three will consist of Stefan Savic, Alex Witsel, and Mario Hermoso, with Jan Oblak a mainstay between the sticks. Marcos Llorente and Rodrigo Riquelme will be the wing-backs for this fixture. The midfield trio will be made up of Koke, Rodrigo De Paul, and Saul Niguez.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Hermoso; Llorente, De Paul, Koke, Niguez, Riquelme; Griezmann, Depay
Rayo Vallecano
Pathe Ciss and Bebe remain unavailable for selection, with the pair representing Senegal and Cape Verde, respectively, at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Diego Mendez is out injured. The hosts will also be unable to call upon Unai Lopez, who is set to serve a one-match ban after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season at the weekend.
Alvaro Garcia will return to the side after serving a one-match ban of his own, and the 31-year-old is expected to start on the left side against Atletico. He is expected to form the creative trifecta alongside Isi Palazon and club captain Oscar Trejo, with Sergio Camello more than likely to spearhead the frontline.
In midfield, Rayo Vallecano are likely to persist with the double-pivot of Kike Perez and Oscar Valentin. Rayo Vallecano boast one of the best defences in the division, having conceded fewer goals than Barcelona and only one more than high-flyers Girona in the division.
Stole Dimitrievski will be in goal. In the heart of the defence, Florian Lejeune will pair up with Aridane Hernandez. The duo will have a difficult assignment at hand of stopping the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay. They will have the support of full-backs Alfonso Espino and Ivan Balliu.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dimitrievski; Balliu, Lejeune, Hernandez, Espino; Valentin, Perez; Palazon, Trejo, Garcia; Camello
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have won each of their last three games to nil.
- Rayo Vallecano have failed to score in six of their 11 away games in La Liga.
- The hosts have lost only two of their last nine games.
- Diego Simeone’s side have won 19 of their last 20 home games in La Liga.
- Rayo Vallecano did not win any of their last three matches.
- RayoVallecano have failed to score in six of their last seven league matches.
Player to Watch
Memphis Depay
After a difficult debut season, Memphis Depay is rediscovering his rhythm just at the right time, with Alvaro Morata struggling to keep fit. In the last four games, the Dutchman has four goals and an assist in 188 minutes of action, including the match-winner against Sevilla last Thursday to fire Atleti into the Copa del Rey semi-finals. He will need to keep his best version intact in order for Los Colchoneros to keep their winning momentum right now.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Rayo Vallecano
With the latest installment of the Madrid derby on the horizon, Atletico Madrid know they need to keep posting points in La Liga to remain in touch of top two and keep upsurging fifth-placed Real Sociedad at bay.
Rayo Vallecano will try their best to create an upset here. But it seems to be too big a task for the mid-table side at Los Rojiblancos’ fortress, especially given their poor attacking unit, having scored only 18 times in 21 matches. The Hard Tackle predicts the hosts can come out on top with a 2-1 scoreline on Wednesday.
