Table toppers Barca look continue their fine form without Messi as the hosts search for their first home win of the league campaign
Barcelona will be confident of maintaining their lead at the top of La Liga when they take on second from bottom Rayo Vallecano on Saturday.
Momentum is with the Catalan club after they followed up a 5-1 Classico win last weekend with victory in the Copa del Rey against Cultural Leonesa on Wednesday.
Rayo on the other hand have won only once so far in the league and are yet to take three points from a home game this season.
Given that form, Luis Suarez and Co. could see the trip to the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas as an opportunity to boost themselves up the La Liga goal rankings.
| Game | Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona |
| Date | Saturday, November 3 |
| Time | 7:45pm GMT / 3:45pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Eleven Sports 1 and it can be streamed online via the Eleven Sports app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Eleven Sports 1 | Eleven Sports |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Rayo Vallecano squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | García, Dimitrievski |
| Defenders | Amat, Galvez, Leon, Velazguez, Ba, Dorado, Moreno, Akieme, Advnicula, Tito |
| Midfielders | Imbula, Elustondo, Comesana, Medran, Pozo, Trejo, Garcia, Kakuta, Embarba |
| Forwards | Bebe, Bangoura, Tomas, Alegria, Guerra |
Gorka Elustondo and Tito are long-term absentees.
| Position | Barcelona squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Cillessen, Ezkieta |
| Defenders | Pique, Semedo, Lenglet, Alba, Chumi, Umtiti, Vermaelen |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, Busquets, Coutinho, Arthur, Rafinha, Roberto, Vidal, D. Suarez, Samper, Alena |
| Forwards | L. Suarez, Dembele, Malcom, Munir, Messi |
Lionel Messi has returned to training but is expected to miss out again, while Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen still miss out with knee and hamstring problems respectively.
Potential Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Lenglet, Pique, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Arthur; Rafinha, Suarez, Coutinho
Betting & Match Odds
Barcelona are unsurprisingly heavy favorites, with bet365 giving odds of 7/25 on the visitors to win. The chances of Rayo Vallecano pulling off an upset are rated at 17/2 while you can get 5/1 on the draw.
Match Preview
Even without Lionel Messi last weekend Barcelona were able to easily get past an out of sorts Real Madrid side, scoring five goals in the process.
A hat-trick from Luis Suarez made up for the Argentine’s absence and an impressive performance from Philippe Coutinho, who netted the opening goal at Camp Nou, would have pleased Ernesto Valverde. While Messi, who has been missing with a fractured arm since the 4-2 win over Sevilla, has returned to training, it is unlikely that he will be risked at Rayo.
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Barca have also coped well without Samuel Umtiti (knee) and Thomas Vermaelen (hamstring) in recent weeks, with summer signing Clement Lenglet slotting in at centre-back, and the Frenchman is expected to partner Gerrard Pique again on Saturday. The front line strikers will also return after being rested for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey action, which could spell trouble for Rayo who have conceded 20 times so far in the league this term.
Despite their title-winning campaign in the second tier last season, Los Franjirrojos have struggled on their return to La Liga and it is hard see how they can take any points from this clash with the league leaders.
On-loan Real Madrid striker Raul de Tomas has impressed with three goals, but Rayo’s fragility at the other end has caused them to languish in the relegation places. With that in mind, the visitors could romp to a wide victory and increase their lead at the top of the table.
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