Preview: Rayo Vallecano vs Atletico Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Fresh from a stunning 4-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, Atletico Madrid will continue their La Liga campaign against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Atletico are currently third in the La Liga table, level on points with fourth-placed Villarreal, while Rayo are 18th, with their poor form seeing them drop into the relegation zone.

Match preview

Rayo finished eighth in La Liga last season to qualify for the Conference League, and the capital outfit have managed to secure a spot in the knockout round of the European competition.

However, it has been a struggle for Inigo Perez's side in La Liga this season, with 22 points from 22 matches leaving them in 18th spot in the table, one point behind 17th-placed Valencia.

Los Franjirrojos have lost their last three in La Liga to Celta Vigo, Osasuna and Real Madrid, and they have not actually been in action since a 2-1 reverse to the latter on February 1.

Rayo had been due to host Real Oviedo last weekend, but the match had to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, so the capital team have a game to make up.

Perez's team have only managed to win two of their 10 home league games during the 2025-26 campaign, although they have suffered just two defeats, sharing the points on six occasions.

Atletico, as mentioned, were in Copa del Rey semi-final action on Thursday evening, recording a stunning 4-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their affair.

Diego Simeone's side are now in a wonderful position to reach the final of the tournament against either Athletic Bilbao or Real Sociedad, but they are not in a La Liga title race this season, sitting third in the table, 13 points off the leaders Barcelona.

Atletico's focus is instead on securing a top-four finish - the capital outfit are currently level on points with fourth-placed Villarreal, who have a game in hand, while they sit seven points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis on the same number of matches (23).

The Red and Whites actually lost 1-0 at home to Real Betis in the league last weekend, so they will be bidding to bounce back in Sunday's Madrid derby.

Atletico recorded a 3-2 win over Rayo in the reverse match earlier this season, but the corresponding game during the 2024-25 campaign finished 1-1.

Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:

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Rayo Vallecano form (all competitions):

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Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Team News

Rayo are without the services of Abdul Mumin due to a knee injury, while Pep Chavarria and Pathe Ciss are both suspended following their red cards against Real Madrid last time out.

Unai Lopez and Diego Mendez will also face late fitness tests on the issues that ruled them out of the contest with Alvaro Arbeloa's side.

Alvaro Garcia has been in strong form this season and will again feature in an attacking area, while Oscar Valentin and Luiz Felipe could be the replacements for Chavarria and Ciss.

Atletico, meanwhile, remain without the services of Johnny Cardoso and Pablo Barrios due to muscular injuries.

The visitors did not suffer any fresh issues against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, but there will be a recall between the sticks for Jan Oblak.

Those that excelled against Barcelona could be rewarded with starts here, with Nahuel Molina in line to keep his spot at right-back, while Antoine Griezmann may also have done enough to retain his position in the final third of the field.

Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:

Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mendy, Felipe; Valentin, Gumbau; Akhomach, Palazon, A Garcia; De Frutos

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman; Griezmann, Alvarez

We say: Rayo Vallecano 0-1 Atletico Madrid

There have only been 17 goals scored in Rayo's 10 home La Liga games this season, so we are not expecting a high-scoring affair here. Rayo are capable of making it a tough match for Atletico despite their recent struggles, but we are backing the visitors to edge this contest.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.