The early indications clearly show that Rayo Vallecano will stay away from the bottom battle. They have won 5 times, drawn in 3 rounds, and lost just 4 of the opening 12 league games this season. Behind them they have 4 matches without defeat. The last two have been won over Cadiz by a whopping 5-1 and Sevilla by 1-0, with Alvaro Garcia scoring the only goal in the match. Taking a 3rd straight league victory over the champions is an admittedly difficult test. But continuing to produce going forward is entirely possible. Only once in the last 9 rounds in La Liga have Rayo failed to find the back of the net. Isi Palazon, with 3 goals and 2 assists, has proven to be important in the attack. There is also a chance that Radamel Falcao is back from injury. Regardless, you get Randy Nteka and Oscar Trejo back from suspension. The giants Real Madrid unexpectedly dropped points against Girona in the last league game. A reaction came immediately this week when Celtic was defeated 5-1 in the Champions League. That 5 different goal scorers netted showed the breadth of Carlo Ancelotti's squad. In league play, Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior are actually the team's top scorers, with 6 goals each. The talisman Karim Benzema has been injured but still netted 5 times. Rodrygo has also shown good form when he has been allowed to play. With the loss of points, Real Madrid has only a one-point advantage over arch-rivals Barcelona. A lead they would like to keep until the World Cup in Qatar ends. But Real Madrid has also had problems in defense, conceding goals in the last 4 games. I am sure that Rayo will manage to score today as their attack has been at an enviable level in the last few games. I believe that in the end, Real Madrid will win, after all, they are the Spanish and European champions, but it is unlikely that they will manage to win with a 2 or more goal difference.