After questionable performances against Celtic and a disastrous defensive display against Deportivo La Coruna, Barcelona will look to get back on track with Rayo Vallecano.
Barca will get some returning players in the form of Sergio Busquets and Dani Alves. Both will be instrumental in aiding the deplorable defense. In their last match they conceded four goals, including an own goal from Jordi Alba despite winning 5-4 against one of the worst teams in the league. Javier Mascherano, the scapegoat for most of the poor defensive in the last few weeks, will not be present as he got a red card and will miss the next few matches. It might all be for the better as Tito Vilanova gets to try out a new set of defenders.
Fortuantely, Barca's offense is another issue completely. Lionel Messi had a hat trick against Deportivo, but when he was shut down against Celtic, Xavi and Andres Iniesta still found a way to create in the midfield and help this team win the game off a brilliant goal form Jordi Alba. They are still undefeated this season save for one loss to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and are the cream of La Liga.
Rayo Vallecano cannot say the same. With just 10 points in eight matches, they sit in 12th place. Fortunately, they have 3 wins and a draw so not all is negative. After starting 2-0-0, they have only won once in their last six, against Deportivo La Coruna. The team has scored 11 times, but has conceded 17 goals. The good news is that of those 17, only 3 goals have been conceded at home and in their four home games, they have had two clean sheets. On the flip side however, they have only scored 3 goals in four games at home. There is no question that they will defend well, but can they score the elusive goal they might need to win this game?
Prediction: It will be a tight match, but Barca should come out on top with a 2-1 win.
Start Time: 4 p.m. EDT