On matchday 12 of LaLiga, Rayo Vallecano hosts the leaders Real Madrid with the hope of making home advantage count and picking up points in the season. Meanwhile, Alonso's side arrive as the only leaders of the championship and eager to shake off the defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League.

Real Madrid five points clear of Barcelona

The Bernabeu squad goes into this match with mixed feelings. While they are strong in La Liga and their lead is not in danger, in the European context they suffered a painful defeat at Anfield and want to make amends.

To do so, they have their top scorer, and for now La Liga's top scorer, Kylian Mbappe, who has 13 goals in 11 league games, a scandalous number that instills fear in any defense.

Rayo Vallecano and their giant-killing campaign

Iñigo Perez's side are coming off a Conference League victory over Lech Poznan and once again reaffirm that Vallecas is a headache for visitors. Although in La Liga they are not close to relegation, picking up three points is very important as it would bring them closer to the fight for European places.

On matchday three, the Rayados hosted Barcelona and managed to earn a valuable point with a 1-1 draw. Lamine Yamal from the penalty spot and Fran Perez were the scorers on the day.

Where to watch Rayo Vallecano vs Real Madrid in the USA?

The match will be played on Sunday, November 9 at 3:00 p.m. ET, 12:00 p.m. PT and can be seen live in the United States on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.

In the previous five meetings between these teams, the balance is in Madrid's favour with two wins and three draws. The last time the two sides met, Los Blancos took all three points with a 2-1 win thanks to Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. Pedro Diaz had pulled one back.