To keep the pressure on Barcelona atop the La Liga standings, Real Madrid must collect all three points against Rayo Vallecano without the injured Kylian Mbappé.
Coming off a much-needed Champions League victory against Atalanta, Real Madrid must turn their attention back to La Liga, where they trail Hansi Flick's men by two points with a game in hand. Vinícius Júnior returned in the midweek clash and recorded a goal and an assist after missing four matches due to a thigh injury.
Despite the major injury boost, Real Madrid are still missing the injured Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão. Even worse, Mbappé is now sidelined with a thigh injury and not expected to return until Los Blancos' final match of 2024. Eduardo Camavinga is back and ready to play, though, giving Carlo Ancelotti another option in the midfield.
Without Mbappé available, Ancelotti will have to rely on the attacking options that won Real Madrid La Liga and the Champions League last season against Rayo Vallecano, a team that held Los Blancos to two draws in 2023–24.
Here's what Real Madrid's XI could look like against Iñigo Pérez's squad on Dec. 14.






