Rayo haven’t beaten Atletico Madrid in La Liga since a 2-1 home win in the 2012/13 season
Atletico Madrid are picking up the pieces having seen their challenge end on three different fronts since the start of last month. They are hoping for a morale-boosting derby win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Thursday.
It was a 1-0 defeat at Las Palmas at the weekend that put the final nail in their coffin as far as their title hopes were concerned. Diego Simeone dropped Antoine Griezmann for that match, with Alexander Sorloth partnering Julian Alvarez in attack, but they couldn’t get much going in a flat team performance.
After a club-record winning streak in the winter, things have unravelled ever so quickly in recent weeks, and once again this feels like an Atletico Madrid squad that may be in need of major surgery this summer.
Rayo Vallecano will be hoping to sour the mood at the Estadio Metropolitano even further in this game. They are still fighting for a potential European place, but their form has also really dipped with only one win in their last nine league games. That suggests that Inigo Perez’s side may fall just short in their bid to reach the top eight.
This particular Madrid derby has been quite one-sided in recent years, with Rayo having little success against their city rivals. They’ve made four trips to the Estadio Metropolitano to play Atleti so far, losing three times and drawing once. Rayo haven’t beaten Atletico Madrid in La Liga since a 2-1 home win in the 2012/13 season.
Simeone has a full squad to pick from, and may opt for light changes following a disappointing defeat on Saturday night in Gran Canaria.
As for Rayo, they may continue with Pathe Ciss at centre-back in this game, while Unai Lopez is pushing for a start in midfield. The injured Abdul Mumin misses out again.
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Azpilicueta, Gimenez, Le Normand, Llorente, Lino, Barrios, De Paul, Simeone, Alvarez, Sorloth.
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla, Chavarria, Ciss, Lejeune, Ratiu, Gumbau, Diaz, A. Garcia, U. Lopez, De Frutos, Nteka.