Mendy and Ceballos train away from the group ahead of Rayo Vallecano clash

Real Madrid had their penultimate training session on Friday before they host Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in the 12th round of La Liga. The team worked on various aspects of their game, such as possession, pressing, and finishing, in scrimmages on reduced sized parts of the pitch.

The good news for the fans was the return of Fede Valverde, who trained normally with the rest of the squad.

However, not all the players were fully fit, as Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos continued their recovery processes away from the group. Mendy is nursing an overload he suffered in the Clasico against Barcelona, while Ceballos is still recovering from a long-term ankle injury.

Another player who trained with the group but is unlikely to feature on Sunday is Arda Güler. Though he is training well, the club will not rush him back and will wait until he is 100% fit.

Real Madrid are currently first in the table, ahead of Girona on the tie-breaker. The team will have one more training session on Saturday before facing Rayo Vallecano, who are eighth in the standings and are undefeated in their last eight matches in all competitions. The game will kick off at 21:00 CET at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.