Rayo Vallecano](club:rayo-vallecano) are still looking for their first La Liga win of the 2026-27 campaign. The Madrid side opened with a 2-1 defeat to Sevilla, then picked up their first point of the season at home to Alaves on 20 August, and they come into Rayo Vallecano vs Racing Santander with a flat start hanging over them.
Augusto Batalla and Luiz Felipe are part of a squad that has been changed heavily over the summer, but the early returns have not been kind to Rayo Vallecano. They have gone into this game with no league points on the board in the standings and a recent league run of one draw and four defeats, which is not much to lean on before a visit from a side with more momentum.
Rayo's slow opening
Benat San Jose has not had much time to settle anything. Rayo's new-look side have looked short on rhythm in the first few weeks, and the table situation reflects that, even if the official preview copy and the standings view do not match perfectly.
The practical point is simpler. Rayo have not won in the league, and their search for that first success is already becoming the main storyline around the team. A home game is the obvious place to reset, but the opening spell has not earned much trust.
Racing's case in Madrid
Racing Santander arrive with a steadier opening and a better claim to be competitive than the home crowd might expect. The preview view of the game points to a side that has shown promise early on, and Jose Alberto Lopez's team also beat Elche 3-2 last time out.
The wider head-to-head history helps keep this from feeling like a mismatch. Rayo have won 21 and lost 21 of their previous 54 meetings with Racing in all competitions, and Racing have not beaten Rayo in the league since February 2003. That makes the fixture more awkward than the league table alone suggests, even if Rayo should still expect to carry more of the ball at home.
Sports Mole's preview analyst summed up the mood neatly: "Racing have shown plenty of promise early in the season, and this is a tough match for Rayo, who might have to settle for a share of the spoils on home soil." The draw call feels alive because Rayo have not found a clean way out of their own issues, while Racing have done enough in the first three matches to make this a live contest.
Rayo's first league win is the obvious target, but the next concrete fact is the fixture itself, on Saturday afternoon in Madrid.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
