RCD Espanyol need a positive result on the road to keep pace near the top of the table when they visit Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, September 15 at 17:00 UTC at the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas, in a matchday 6 clash in La Liga.

Espanyol's recent form

Espanyol arrive off the back of a 0-2 win in Pamplona, with a brace from Roberto Fernández Jaén, who scored in the 3rd minute assisted by Marcos Fernández and again in the 17th, set up by Omar El Hilali. Before that they drew 1-1 at home against Sevilla, with M. Fernández scoring in the 90th minute, lost to Real Sociedad, fell to Real Madrid and thrashed Levante 3-0. The club sit eighth with 7 points from a possible 15, with two wins, a draw and two defeats, and have scored 8 goals while conceding 5, eight points off leaders Barcelona.

Rayo in freefall

Rayo Vallecano, 16th in the table, take on Espanyol after losing 1-4 at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid last Saturday. Before that they beat Racing de Santander 3-2, lost 2-5 at the Camp Nou to Barcelona, drew 1-1 with Alavés and fell 1-2 to Sevilla, a run that leaves the Madrid side well off the European places.

Four absences in Vallecas

The hosts' medical report confirms four absences for this fixture. Augusto Batalla has a broken leg and is not expected back until January 10, 2027. Jozhua Vertrouwd and Luiz Felipe are both out with hamstring injuries, with a return date set for September 30, the same timeline given for Randy Nteka, who is dealing with a muscle injury. The full list of Rayo's absentees can be checked on the injuries page.

Head to head and lineups

In the last meeting between the two sides, played on December 7, 2025, Espanyol won 1-0. For the Osasuna match, Espanyol's starting eleven was Dmitrović, El Hilali, Riedel, Cabrera, Hinojo, Edu Expósito, Urko González, Marcos Fernández, Javier Hernández, Dolan and Roberto Fernández in a 4-2-3-1, a lineup that features in the full squad list. Rayo, for their part, fielded Audero, Rațiu, Lejeune, Ciss, Pedrosa, Bouare, Unai López, Tsitaishvili, Pedro Díaz, Álvaro García and Camello against Real Madrid.

Vertrouwd, Luiz Felipe and Nteka are due to return on September 30, while Batalla will not play again until January 10, 2027.