With the euphoria from the comeback against RB Leipzig still fresh in mind, Atlético de Madrid will face another league match outside of the Metropolitano. However, they won't have to leave the Autonomous Community of Madrid, as they will face James Rodríguez's Rayo Vallecano. After defeating Valencia at home in front of their fans, DiegoPablo Simeone's team will try to conquer Vallecas for another season.
The last visits of the red-white team to Rayo Vallecano's stadium have been marked by consolidated victories in games that have not caused any major problems despite the atmosphere. In fact, last season gave us a game that will be very difficult to forget due to the end result that night at Rayo Vallecano's stadium. A rout that still lives on in the memory of the fans, being one of the best games of last season.
A rout for history
On August 28th, Rayo Vallecano and Atlético de Madrid met for the first time in the long-awaited 23/24 season. A tough encounter was expected where the locals would try to stand up to one of the best teams in the competition. However, Simeone 's men were more accurate than ever and scored seven goals plus a clean sheet against the Vallecanos.
It took just two minutes for Antoine Griezmann to open the scoring, and before the half-time break the scoreboard was already at 0-3. MemphisDepay and Nahuel Molina scored before the break, leaving the Dutchman on the bench due to injury. The second half continued with a feast of joy, with Álvaro Morata scoring twice, Ángel Correa scoring and Marcos Llorente scoring the last goal.
That rout, 0-7 on the scoreboard once the referee blew the whistle, was not just another result, but one that will go down in the history of Atlético de Madrid. It was the biggest result that the club from Madrid has achieved away from home since it was founded in 1903. Something that is hardly surprising considering the large number of goals that were scored that night in Vallecas.
Second Round on Sunday
Tomorrow at 9pm, Atlético de Madrid will return to the battlefield where they won effortlessly. The squads have changed, and the stage and the moment of the teams is not the same as back then, but they'll try to take three points from Vallecas points, again. Rayo Vallecano will try to avoid this, however, as he'll count on the technical skills of James Rodríguez, their brand new star transfer, to stop Atlético.
We'll have to wait and see what line-ups both coaches will craft and what moves they'll make to secure victory. What seems clear is that it'll be a match comparable with the Madrid derby, which has always been a tough one.