Beñat San José went with four changes from the Sevilla match as Rayo Vallecano named its lineup for Rayo Vallecano Vs Alavés at Butarque on 20 August. Vertrouwd came in at left back, Pelayo partnered Lejeune in central defense and Fran Pérez started on the right wing, while Nteka and Alemao were left on the bench.
The Rayo side for José Luis Munuera Montero’s matchday was Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Pelayo, Vertrouwd, Unai López, Pathé Ciss, Isi, De Frutos, Fran Pérez and Camello. That is the kind of detail supporters were waiting for because the lineups were released immediately before kickoff, with Iván Caparrós Hernández on VAR duty and the game being followed live from Butarque.
Alavés answered with Sivera, Tenaglia, Koski, Jonny, Ángel Pérez, Ibáñez, Blanco, Mikel Rodríguez, Rebbach, Boyé and Toni Martínez, leaving Mariano on the bench. The names matter here because both clubs had already shown their hand in a match that sits inside a wider transfer picture: Alavés had brought in Valentini from Fiorentina, Miguel Rodríguez from Utrecht, Koski from NK Istra and Mikel Rodríguez from Real Sociedad B, while Rayo had added Kumbulla, Giorgi Tsitaishvili, Nobel Mendy and San José among its summer arrivals.
There is also a sharper edge off the pitch. After a club statement about ticket management at Estadio de Vallecas, Alavés replied with a note saying it “rechaza de manera rotunda la versión ofrecida,” a sign that the dispute had not been smoothed over before the teams met. Alavés also listed returning loanees such as Owono, Diarra, Maras, Novoa, Diallo, Mendes and Adrián Rodríguez, while Rayo’s own list of departures included Iñigo Pérez, Pep Chavarría, Espino, Ilias Akhomach, Gumbau, Carlos Martín, Trejo and Mumin.
For San José, the next question is not whether the starting XI was bold. It was. The question is whether the four changes, and the decision to keep Nteka and Alemao back, will give Rayo the control he wanted from the first whistle, or whether the bench will end up looking more influential than the opening lineup.
