Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano prediction 22.03.2026 | La Liga

Barcelona are on course to win another La Liga title. They are four points ahead of Real Madrid, and given Barca's fantastic form, it seems impossible for Los Blancos to overcome the deficit. Barcelona have six wins and one draw and a 24:6 goal difference. In the previous game, Hansi Flick's team won 7-2 at home against Newcastle. The visitors played well for the first 30 minutes, and even had a 2-2, but since then Barca trashed them and secured the quarterfinals. Now, Flick's team will welcome Rayo Vallecano in their final match before the international break.

Barcelona dominated in the previous game, but the head coach, Hansi Flick, wasn't fully satisfied. He said, "It was a crazy game. I think we weren't sharp in the first half, but we were much better in the second. We were able to control the ball. The third goal gave us the chance to get back into the game."

Barcelona's goalkeeper Joan Garcia suffered a calf injury in the game against Newcastle. He will join already unavailable Alejandro Balde, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, and Jules Kounde. Also, Eric Garcia is questionable, and his status will get clearer closer to the kickoff.

Rayo Vallecano have another solid season. They are a mid-table team, and although the drop zone is only six points behind, Rayo Vallecano's good form provides them with enough confidence that Inigo Perez's team will not participate in the relegation dogfight. Rayo Vallecano were recently on a run of seven games without defeat in a row until their most recent outing, when Perez's team lost 1-0 at home against Samsunspor. However, although Rayo Vallecano lost, their victory in the first round was enough to progress to the Conference League quarterfinal.

Although Rayo Vallecano had a 3-1 lead from the first leg in Samsun, it was clear how hard the rematch was in Spain. Rayo Vallecano's head coach, Inigo Perez, said, "When you get to the second leg, and the tie is still undecided, emotions run high and reach a point where what you want from the sidelines is to control the situation, and it becomes uncontrollable. That's how it was; we advanced, which was the important thing, but we suffered."

Nobel Mendy and Diego Mendez are unavailable for Sunday's trip to Camp Nou.