It will take the field last, after Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have already played and drawn in their league round but regardless of the (favorable) result of their rivals, on Monday night, Barcelona would have had only one possible outcome to give even more strength to their comeback, that of victory, against, however, one of the most surprising teams in this Liga, which has gone from fighting for salvation last year to fighting for Europe this season: Rayo Vallecano. The boys of Inigo Perez, a very young 37-year-old coach, are in great shape, indeed, points in hand, the most in form in the championship right together with the Blaugrana who, therefore, will find a determined opponent, confident in their own means and without absences, a circumstance that does not suit the Catalans who, in addition to the long-term injuries, add the suspension of Lopez and the doubtful Araujo. If we add to this a hermetic defense of Vallecano (who have conceded fewer goals than Barcelona in La Liga) the elements for an enjoyable, decisive and certainly not predictable match are all there; elements fully respected also in the first leg, won by Barcelona 1-2 after the initial advantage of Unai Lopez for the Rayistas and the comeback in the second half signed by Pedri and Olmo for Barcelona.

Barcelona's shape and key statistics

The large victory against Sevilla by 1-4 in the last round of the championship was yet another match, the 20th of the season, won by Barcelona with at least 3 goals scored: a truly incredible number in mid-February.

This offensive magnificence earned an excellent second place in the first phase of the Champions League but for now it leads to a third in the championship counting 15 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats. Barcelona is unbeaten in 11 games and has won 5 of the last 6 games played.

Rayo Vallecano's shape and key statistics

Undefeated in the last 9 La Liga matches, after having won the last 3, Vallecano's moment can only be defined as positive and, with it, also the ranking that says an excellent sixth place where, the main statistic, is that of goals conceded: only 24 in 23 games, one less than Barcelona and one more than Real Madrid.

One of Rayo Vallecano's strengths can be seen in the distribution of goals: there are 6 players who have scored at least 3 goals even if the real bomber is missing up front. The best scorer in La Liga is in fact Jorge de Frutos with 4 goals.

Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano Prediction and Tactical Analysis

The 1-4 in Seville was another great demonstration of strength from Flick's team, which has the chance to return to the top and will not want to miss it. Already burned by some internal slip-ups, Barcelona, ​​despite some absences, will have, in attack, all of its top players and it is precisely the difference between the two offensive departments (the Blaugrana and the Rayo Vallecano) that clearly tips the balance of predictions in favor of the home team. The BetMines prediction algorithm is therefore home-based.

BetMines algorithm prediction for the match Barcelona - Rayo Vallecano predicts the 1 at 65%
BetMines algorithm prediction for Barcelona - Rayo Vallecano predicts the X at 20%
BetMines algorithm prediction for the match Barcelona - Rayo Vallecano predicts the 2 at 15%

Predicted lineups Barcelona Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona (4-3-3): Szczesny; Koundé, Cubarsi, Martinez, Baldé; Pedri, De Jong, Gavi; Yamal, Lewandowski, Rapinha. All: Flick

Rayo Vallecano (4-3-3): Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mumin, Chavarria; Ciss, Pedro Diaz, Isi; De Frutos, Nteka, Garcia. All: Perez