Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano | La Liga GW 27 | OneFootball

Back in December, Estadio de Vallecas played host as Real Madrid took on Rayo Vallecano in in a game that may well have been one of the most tightly-contested fixtures this season.

On the night, the hosts took a quick 2-0 lead before Real Madrid mounted an unbelievable comeback with goals from Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham to make it 3-2.

Just when it seemed like Real Madrid had pulled the win out, however, Isi Palazon pulled one back and ensured that the game ended in a 3-3 draw.

Tomorrow night, the two teams face off once again and Los Blancos will be eager to take all three points on this occasion. After all, it is not just a matter of revenge but of the league standings.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano.

The Rudiger blow

Every time Real Madrid come close to having a full-strength defence available, an unfortunate event rules out one mainstay from Carlo Ancelotti’s plans, and the same fate has struck again.

Just weeks after returning from his injury, Antonio Rudiger is now a serious doubt to participate tomorrow night against Rayo Vallecano as he is reportedly unwell.

The player is said to have contracted a flu-like illness and is thus not in a position to play this weekend as it stands. He did not even train with the team today, throwing his availability into doubt.

With Rudiger likely to be unavailable, Ancelotti is back to having only two viable centre-backs available for the clash against Rayo Vallecano and it will thus be Raul Asencio and David Alaba who will start on the night.

The Spanish-Austrian combination has not featured often and it will be interesting to see if they can keep up the same coordination they showed in the team’s win over Girona last month.

Needless to say, a lot is on the line and will be directly dependent on their chemistry at the back,

Bellingham is finally back

Back. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

It has been a long and unexpected stint on the sidelines for Jude Bellingham who coincidentally faced suspensions across competitions simultaneously.

The midfielder was shown a red card in Real Madrid’s game against Osasuna last month for verbally abusing the referee and thus handed a two-game ban in La Liga.

As a result, he played no part in the team’s games against Real Betis and Girona and the team struggled on both occasions and even lost against the former.

Meanwhile, an accumulation of yellow cards saw him suspended from the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Atletico Madrid and the player thus ended up missing three of the team’s last four games across all competitions.

Having last featured in the Merengues’ Copa del Rey match against Real Sociedad, Bellingham will finally return to the field tomorrow night in what comes as a massive boost for Carlo Ancelotti and Co.

Bellingham is expected to start on the night in the attacking midfield and will likely come at the expense of Brahim Diaz who has done a phenomenal job in the English superstar’s absence.

Eyes on the stars

Real Madrid managed to pull off a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this week and thus secured a narrow lead to take into the reverse fixture.

Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz were among the goals on the night and the team did largely well to defeat their local rivals. Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe, however, were completely off-colour.

The talismanic duo have both been out of form in recent games and it is the first time this season that both players’ ruts have coincided. Needless to say, there is concern in the Real Madrid offices over both players’ form.

Mbappe, for his part, was in red-hot form even as recently as the last round of the UCL when he put goals past Manchester City for fun. Since then, however, he has been on a downward spiral once more.

Meanwhile, Vinicius has been off-colour for a long time now and has scored just one goal and provided one assist in his last ten games across all competitions.

Ancelotti and Co., thus, need both players to step up urgently especially with the away leg against Los Rojiblancos looming.

The spotlight will thus shine bright on both star players tomorrow to see if they can recover their lost form and come out all guns blazing.