Following a mid-season setback, Barcelona have reasserted themselves in the La Liga title contention with a commanding 4-1 victory over Sevilla. This marks the eighth occasion this season that they have netted four or more goals in the league. That triumph has brought them just two points shy of the top spot, and the new year seems to have worked wonders for Hansi Flick’s squad, as the Blaugrana remain undefeated across all 11 matches in 2025, boasting nine wins and two draws.
This impressive record includes three consecutive league victories. However, Barcelona will face a test in extending this streak to four when they meet Rayo Vallecano, having failed to secure wins in two of their previous three home encounters against them (one draw, one loss). Nevertheless, they clinched a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture last August, offering them a golden opportunity to achieve three consecutive victories in head-to-head matchups for the first time since January 2021.
In La Liga, Rayo Vallecano have made the most impressive start in 2025, amassing a league-leading 13 points from their initial five games (W4, D1). Their record unbeaten streak in the top division has now extended to nine matches (W5, D4), a series that includes three consecutive wins. The last time Rayo achieved four successive victories in La Liga was in January 2013.
Although still considered outsiders to replicate such a feat against one of the league’s top teams, Rayo can draw confidence from an unbeaten run of five away games in the league (W2, D3). In each of these matches, they netted exactly once, but they may need to find the back of the net more frequently to secure a win here, given they have kept only one clean sheet in their last 11 encounters against teams starting this round in the upper half of the table (W3, D5, L3).
Key players to keep an eye on: This season’s leading scorer in La Liga, Robert Lewandowski, aims to replicate his performance from the previous season’s equivalent match where he netted the opening goal in a 3-0 victory. Álvaro García found the net for Rayo against Valladolid recently and also made the decisive strike the last time they secured an away win in their head-to-head clash back in 2022.
Interesting statistic: Rayo boasts the highest number of league goals scored within the first ten minutes of play, with six goals leading into this round.
