Three talking points ahead of Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona | La Liga MD3 | OneFootball

Having valiantly fought back from 2-0 down to take home a last-gasp 3-2 win over Levante last weekend, Barcelona will be eager to get the job done without as many twists on Matchday 3.

That, however, is easier said than done, given that they take on Rayo Vallecano away at the Estadio de Vallecas – a venue known to be one of La Liga’s most daunting away grounds to play at.

Inigo Perez’s side have endured a mixed start to the season, winning their first game 3-1 against Girona but then going on to lose against Athletic Club away from home.

They did, however, win their UEFA Europa Conference League playoff fixture 5-0 on aggregate and enter tomorrow’s clash high on momentum after a fabulous second leg result.

For Barcelona, the record is far cleaner as they enter on two straight wins. They, too, however, have not managed to complete a game without hiccups and will look for a night of perfect execution.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona.

Lessons from the previous game

Hansi Flick had an interesting surprise up his sleeve in Barcelona’s recent game against Levante. But his plan did not quite work as anticipated. The manager made surprising changes to his starting lineup, particularly in the attacking midfield and left-wing positions.

Flick handed Marcus Rashford his first official start for Barcelona and deployed the new signing as a left-winger. He then placed Raphinha in the No. 10 position, hoping for the Brazilian to play through the lines.

What unfolded, however, was the forwards encroaching into each other’s spaces and a state of disarray that saw Levante go two goals up.

While Rashford was promising and showed great signs with the ball, Raphinha kept drifting into Yamal’s space, and the duo negated each other’s presence.

Tomorrow, Flick must show that he has learnt from the mistakes he made in the previous game, and it will be interesting to see who he starts in the aforementioned positions.

All signs point to Raphinha returning to his starting position on the left flank, and the manager will likely pick one of Fermin Lopez or Dani Olmo to play as the No. 10.

A defensive shuffle?

Araujo to be dropped? (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

The one common negative takeaway from both of Barcelona’s games so far this season is the disarray in defence, particularly between Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi.

While the latter has not quite hit the same level as last season, the former has struggled to serve as a stylistic fit in the department and has often come across as the weak link in holding the offside trap.

It is clear that the situation has come to Flick’s notice and that he is actively working on sorting it out, and there is a good chance the Uruguayan star may be dropped tomorrow as the manager continues hunting for the ideal pairing.

Andreas Christensen remains an option to start alongside Cubarsi and it remains to be seen if the German coach sees the Dane ready to start.

As reported earlier this week, Flick also sees Eric Garcia as a possible profile to shift to centre-back with Jules Kounde returning to right-back. Given the former’s good form out wide, it could well be an option to shift Kounde to centre-back as well.

Who the manager picks to start in defence, thus, remains a big question whose answer fans will eagerly be waiting for prior to kick-off.

The Vallecas struggle

The delay in renovation works at the Spotify Camp Nou forced Barcelona to play the first three games of the new season away from home.

Those three being Mallorca, Levante, and Rayo Vallecano means the club face three of the most challenging away grounds early on in the season.

Having already conquered two of the three aforementioned clubs’ fortresses, the Catalans now head to the Estadio de Vallecas, a venue that has historically been a big hurdle on their calendars.

Flick has led Barcelona once at the venue before, and it was only a narrow 2-1 win that his side managed at the venue last season, courtesy of a late Dani Olmo strike. Notably, they had to fight back from 1-0 down on the night.

Prior to last season’s league meeting, however, Barcelona were winless in three appearances at the Vallecas – a testament to how challenging playing there can be. Of the three games were two losses and a draw.

The last time Barcelona won at the venue with a goal difference of more than one was back in 2016 when they played against nine men in La Liga. Tomorrow’s game, thus, will be one of their most challenging away fixtures of the season.

A win at Vallecas would cap off the perfect start to the league – three wins in three games, all at extremely challenging grounds. A defeat, however, would drop the spirits just before the international break.