FC Barcelona (4th, 6pts) vs Rayo Vallecano (16th, 1pt)
Competition/Round: 2026-27 La Liga, Matchday 3
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc Casadó, Roony Bardghji, Frenkie de Jong (out), Gavi (doubt)
Rayo Outs & Doubts: Luiz Felipe, Augusto Batalla (GK), Isi Palazón, Marash Kumbulla (doubt)
Date/Time: Monday, August 31, 2026, 9.30pm CET (Barcelona), 8.30pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 3.30pm ET, 12.30pm PT (USA), 1am IST (India, Tuesday)
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
Referee: Francisco José Hernández Maeso
VAR: Raul Martín González Francés
How to watch on
TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), Premier Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports Player (UK), FanCode (India), DAZN (Spain), others
Following a very good win over Athletic Club on Thursday in their home opener, Barcelona return to La Liga action with another home game as the champions look to make it three wins out of three when they welcome Rayo Vallecano to the Greatest Stadium on Earth on Monday Night Fútbol.
Hansi Flick’s side will look to continue building momentum after two very good wins to begin the season, but the test against Rayo is a big one: the team from Madrid are quite simply Barça’s bogey side in La Liga, and games against them have been brutal for the Catalans in the last few years.
In their last 11 meetings Barça have won just five, lost three and only won by more than one goal once, which shows just how well Rayo play the Blaugrana no matter the stadium and the difference in quality between the two teams.
Rayo have exploited Barça’s offside trap better than any other team since Hansi Flick’s arrival, and even with a change in coaching and two subpar performances in the opening two games under new boss Beñat San José, Rayo remain a threat and deserve Barça’s full attention.
The Catalans have attacked well and scored goals and look very threatening with a more fluid front three, and they are still waiting for Lamine Yamal to reach his best level while Raphinha, Fermín López, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi lead the way in these early stages.
Barça are playing well and are full of confidence, but Rayo just know how to make it tough for them. This will certainly be a battle.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Joan; Eric, Cubarsí, Christensen, Espart; Fermín, Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Gordon
Rayo (4-2-3-1): Cárdenas; Ratiu, Lejeune, Fernández, Vertrouwd; Ciss, López; De Frutos, Díaz, Pérez; Camello
PREDICTION
Rayo just know how to play Barça, and will make this tough even with the champs’ strong early form. I’m picking the home team to make it three wins in three, but they will not have an easy time: 2-1 Barça.
