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Real Madrid will try to bounce back from their disappointing 1-0 loss to Villarreal against a Rayo Vallecano side who will surely make things difficult with their intensity and attacking mindset. It will be extremely important for Madrid to earn a win today.
Benítez is not expected to make a lot of rotations today given that his roster is healthy and ready to go. The players will also enjoy a Christmas break after this match, so the Spanish manager will not be thinking about keeping his men fresh.
Kroos could probably make his return to the Starting XI while James, Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo are all expected to start as well. All things considered, Real Madrid should definitely beat Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu. Paco Jémez is a good coach and his offensive mentality is hard to play against, but there is just too big of a difference in terms of quality between these two teams.
Match Information:
Time: 16:00 CET, 10:00 EST.
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, España.
Projected Real Madrid XI: Navas, Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, James, Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema.
TV Information: BeIN Sports USA, Sky Sports 1 (UK), Others.
Stream Information: Others.