Real Madrid will look to put their first La Liga defeat of the season behind them when they host Rayo Vallecano at Santiago-Bernabeu on Saturday evening.
The Merengues are third in the table after losing 1-0 to Real Betis, while Rayo arrive in the capital after a valuable 3-2 victory over Racing de Santander.
Real Madrid opened their domestic campaign with three successive wins against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Malaga, but their perfect start ended in Seville. Their nine points from a possible 12 leave them three points behind leaders Barcelona.
Jose Mourinho’s side responded in midweek by beating Inter Milan 2-1 in the Champions League, but they know another slip in La Liga would increase the pressure created by Barcelona’s strong start.
Real Madrid have dominated this fixture historically, recording 34 wins and seven defeats in 48 meetings with Rayo and scoring 121 goals. However, Rayo have held them to four draws in their past six La Liga encounters. Real Madrid eventually edged the most recent meeting 2-1 in February 2026.
Rayo finished eighth last season, just one point outside the European places, but Benat San Jose’s team have made a less convincing start this term. They sit 14th with four points from four matches.
The Franjirrojos lost 2-1 at Sevilla, drew 1-1 in their next match and were then beaten 5-2 by Barcelona. They recovered on 5 September, securing three important points against Racing de Santander in a 3-2 win.
Real Madrid’s La Liga form is V V V D, while their record in all competitions is V V V V D V. Rayo’s league sequence is D N D V.
Mourinho remains without Eder Militao, who has a muscle problem, as well as Rodrygo (knee), Raul Asencio (thigh) and Ferland Mendy (hip). Goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is available again after an infection, while Bernardo Silva, Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga return from European suspensions.
Aurelien Tchouameni, recently recovered from a muscle issue, is expected to begin on the bench. Kylian Mbappe should lead the attack, supported by Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler.
Rayo are without Augusto Batalla (leg), Jozhua Vertrouwd (hamstring), Luiz Felipe (thigh) and Isi Palazon (muscle). Fran Perez and Jorge de Frutos are suspended, while Marash Kumbulla is doubtful with a muscle problem. Sergio Camello is their main threat, having scored five goals in four appearances this season.
Probable teams
Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Bernardo; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe.
Rayo Vallecano: Cardenas; Ratiu, Lejeune, Ciss, Pedrosa; Lopez, Valentin, Diaz; Tsitaishvili, Camello, A. Garcia.
The accompanying prediction is for more than 2.5 goals at 1.40, both teams to score at 1.80 and Mbappe to score at 1.30. Real Madrid are tipped to win 3-1, with that exact score priced at 9.00 on Betclic.