Barcelona will be aiming to follow Real Madrid’s lead by making it three wins from three when they face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Hansi Flick’s side are in for their toughest match of the season yet, as they face the team that finished eighth in La Liga last season.
It was a less than convincing performance from Barcelona last time out against Levante, so it is perhaps no surprise that Flick is considering big changes for the trip to Vallecas. And these changes are projected to come in defence, midfield and attack.
According to Sport, there will be recalls to the starting line-up for Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski, with Ronald Araujo, Marc Casado, Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres dropping out of the side. The inclusion of the French defender would mean that Eric Garcia is tasked with operating in a more central role.
The decision to drop Ferran would be harsh considering that he has scored in Barcelona’s opening two matches of the season, but Flick is clear that Lewandowski is his starting number nine.
The match against Barcelona sees just a three-day turnaround for Rayo, who were in action on Thursday in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League play-off tie against Neman Grodno. Inigo Perez started with his “B team” for that one, so a return to La Liga action means that nine changes are planned – only Augusto Batalla and Florian Lejeune are to keep their place from Thursday’s match.
It promises to be a very keenly-fought match at Vallecas. Barcelona have had many struggles against Rayo in recent years, and it is expected that it will be no different during Sunday’s clash.