The match at the Spotify Camp Nou heated up. In a dispute for the ball between Sergio Busquets and Radamel Falcao, the Barcelona midfielder elbowed the 'Tiger' in the face, which, as expected, led to his expulsion, leaving the culés with one less player against Rayo Vallecano.
While it didn't seem like a strong hit, the Colombian forward exaggerated a bit, and the referee, Alejandro Hernández, didn't hesitate to show 'Busi' the red card. After the incident, a scuffle broke out between the 'Azulgranas' and Rayo players.
Finally, Andoni Iraola's team would manage to salvage an important draw at Xavi Hernandez's home ground. The Catalans' inability to penetrate the Madrid team was the trend throughout the match.
Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano: match preview
To add to the uncertainty, Barcelona has doubts about Nico González (he must go to Valencia), Martin Braithwaite, and Samuel Umtiti, who are not in the coach's plans. Furthermore, Ferran Torres does not have medical clearance.
Gavi, Alejandro Balde, Ez Abde, Iñaki Peña, and Álex Collado also do not have approval from LaLiga. This situation must be resolved before the debut.
On the other hand, Rayo Vallecano has most of the squad that was in the previous season under the guidance of coach Andoni Iraola.
If all goes well, the Colombian Radamel Falcao should be the offensive reference. In addition, experienced goalkeeper Diego López has arrived to compete for the position with Stole Dimitrievski.
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