Rayo Vallecano will meet Espanyol at Butarque again, a third straight home game away from Vallecas after the club’s request to return to its own ground was turned aside because the suspension of the stadium concession was not lifted. The match arrives with Rayo still working around the same problem that has kept it out of Vallecas and pushed another home date onto neutral ground.
That matters because Rayo has taken four points at Butarque already, with a 1-1 draw against Alavés and a 3-2 win over Racing, while its away record offers no relief: the team has lost all of its away matches and most recently fell at the Santiago Bernabéu. For readers checking the matchup today, the headline names are Sergio Camello, who has six goals in five league matches, and Roberto Fernández, who has five goals in five shots on target. Espanyol also arrives after a 0-2 win in Pamplona, which makes the return to the capital more than a simple logistical note.
The game is carrying absences on both sides. Manolo González has already said Jofre Carreras is dealing with a groin issue he described as “una molestia en el pubis,” and Espanyol is missing three players, including Javi Puado and Kike García. Bryan Zaragoza has played 25 minutes in each of his first two appearances for Espanyol and could make his first start, while Rayo may be able to bring Fran Pérez back after his suspension. Giorgi Tsitaishvili left a good impression in the 4-1 defeat and could stay in the starting picture, but Jorge de Frutos is not yet available.
The broader picture is stubbornly simple: Rayo keeps waiting for Vallecas, and the wait is not over. Until the concession issue changes, Butarque remains the workaround, even for a match that is supposed to feel like home. Luis de la Fuente is due to announce his first squad on Friday at 11:30h, after Spain won its second star in New Jersey, so this fixture also lands in a week when the national-team conversation is about to sharpen again.
