Another league game at Spotify Camp Nou. This Monday at 9.30pm CEST, Flick's side will once again play in front of their home fans when they take on Rayo Vallecano in what will be the second competitive fixture of the season at the stadium, following the 2-0 win over Athletic Club on Thursday.

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Playing at home for the second game in a row, the Catalans will be looking to extend an unbeaten home run stretching all the way back to 18 May 2025, when they lost 3-2 to Villarreal.

New faces settling in

The fantastic atmosphere and the Barça victory were not the only talking points on the night of the win over Athletic.

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Anthony Gordon made his first start for the club, and showed just what a wonderful acquisition he is proving to be, Xavi Espart made his first-team debut and former Ballon d'Or winner and the best player at the 2026 World Cup Rodri Hernández played his first minutes as an FC Barcelona player.

Changes at Rayo

Under Iñigo Pérez last season, Rayo Vallecano enjoyed the greatest European adventure in the club's history, going all the way to the Conference League final against Crystal Palace. His achievements prompted Villarreal to appoint Pérez as their new coach for this season.

That left Rayo needing a replacement, with Beñat San José ultimately chosen to take charge of the Vallecas-based side.

The Basque coach (born 24 September 1979 in San Sebastián) brings extensive international experience. After beginning his coaching career in Real Sociedad's youth system, he has had spells with the likes of Al Nasr, Atlas and KAS Eupen, and most recently Eibar. This will be San José's first season as a coach in the Spanish top flight and, consequently, his first appearance in the visiting dugout at Spotify Camp Nou.

After two league games, the new coach is still looking for his first competitive victory. Rayo lost 2-1 at Sevilla on the opening day and then drew 1-1 at home to Alavés.

barça v rayo: did you know?

Head to head

FC Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano have met ten times since the 2021/22 season, and the Catalans certainly haven't had everything go their own way, recording just four wins, while the other games ended in three defeats and three draws.

The most recent of those losses came in 2022/23, a 2-1 defeat away from home. The last home defeat to Rayo came the previous season, Álvaro García's first-half goal securing a 1-0 win for the visitors.

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The most recent meetings have been much more favourable for Barça. The blaugrana are unbeaten in the last six, with four wins and two draws. The most recent encounter, at Spotify Camp Nou, ended in a 1-0 Barça victory courtesy of a 24th-minute Ronald Araujo header.

Hansi says

Speaking on Sunday, coach Hansi Flick commented that "in a season a lot of things can happen. Right now we are doing well, playing well and in form. But, in the end it's all down to how we play as a team, not just one or two players. It's important to be connected and have team spirit."

 

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