Karim Benzema will be looking to continue his excellent start to the 2021-22 campaign when he leads the Real Madrid line against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday night.
The France international has been in strong form for Los Blancos this season, finding the back of the net on 13 occasions in 14 appearances in all competitions, in addition to contributing eight assists.
In La Liga, Benzema has nine goals and seven assists in 10 outings, while he has registered four goals and one assist in four Champions League outings, including a double in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Benzema was rested against Elche in the league last weekend due to a minor foot problem but will be in action against high-flying Rayo at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Here, Sports Mole looks at how the Frenchman has fared against Rayo in the past.
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Benzema has a perfect record against Rayo, facing the capital side on nine occasions in La Liga and recording nine victories, scoring eight times and providing one assist in the process.
The Frenchman's first-ever appearance against Rayo came during the 2011-12 campaign, when he was on the scoresheet in a 6-2 victory at the Bernabeu, but he missed the reverse fixture that season through injury.
Benzema also netted once against Los Franjirrojos during the 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns, but there is no question that his finest display against the club came during the 2015-16 season.
Indeed, the experienced forward netted three times and provided one assist in Real Madrid's famous 10-2 victory in December 2015, while Gareth Bale (four) and Cristiano Ronaldo (two) were also on the scoresheet.
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Benzema, meanwhile, scored the winner when Real Madrid recorded a 1-0 victory over Rayo at the Bernabeu during the 2018-19 campaign, before missing the reverse fixture - a 1-0 loss - due to a muscular injury.
The striker has been part of some huge victories over Rayo - 6-2, 5-0, 5-1 and 10-2 - and he will be hoping that the likes of Vinicius Junior can help him enjoy another positive result on Saturday.
However, Rayo have started this season in impressive fashion, sitting sixth in the table, and it would be fair to say that this is not a classic Real Madrid side in relation to previous years.
Matt Law
