The match between Rayo Vallecano and FC Barcelona for the third matchday of LaLiga EA Sports 2025/26 will be played at the Madrid team's ground next Sunday. However, with less than 48 hours to go before the match, the state of the pitch at the Estadio de Vallecas has generated great concern.

It should be noted that the 'franjirrojos' sealed their return to European competitions this Thursday (August 28) after 24 years after beating Neman Grodno with a 5-0 aggregate score to get into the UEFA Conference League 2025/26.

Rayo closed the tie as locals; therefore, they used their stadium, where they also celebrated the return to Europe, leaving the pitch a little battered. However, there are those from the club who point out that the pitch will be in good condition to receive Barça.

“Before a match, the pitch is pricked, the raised areas are lifted and a roller is passed over it to get it into condition. The players have seen it and have told us that it will be in good condition”, said Raúl Presa, Rayo's president.

Isi Palazón distances himself from the official discourse of the president of Rayo Vallecano

In this sense, the statements of the president of the 'rayista' team took place before the match for the tie against Neman. However, one of its biggest figures, Isi Palazón, expressed a very different discourse to that of the president.

Thus, the midfielder, after the match, commented on the poor condition of the pitch, in addition to making a comparison that will surely not please the club's offices.

“The pitch is a bit uneven; it is due to the problems in the sports city. We have trained in the stadium and it has been noticeable, going from only playing on match days to training seven days a week and it gets damaged”, said Palazón.

Likewise, the '7' pointed out that the pitch is slow and that the ball does not roll well on it. In the same vein, he pointed out that it looks like a “swamp”. Barça will have to deal with these conditions next Sunday.

It should be noted that the Rayo Vallecano stadium is undergoing renovation work and the first phase of the renovation has already been completed, so they will be able to play in their home ground in the Conference.

However, it is necessary that as a First Division entity it maintains the pitch in optimal conditions to host the corresponding matches, in case it does not change venue.

Barça, determined to add points in Vallecas despite the conditions of the pitch

Despite the lamentable conditions of the pitch at the Estadio de Vallecas, the Barça players are determined to go for the 3 points against Rayo Vallecano.

The Catalan team arrives at the third match after winning the first one against RCD Mallorca by 0-3, while in the second matchday they beat Levante UD by 2-3, in a match that represented Barça's first comeback of the season and already has 6 points.

Precisely, in the last visit to the Ciutat de València to face the 'granotas', the Azulgrana team came across a waterlogged pitch that seriously conditioned the development of the match. 

The excess of watering left the pitch in conditions far from ideal, hindering the combinative game characteristic of the Azulgrana team and forcing Hansi Flick's team to adapt on the fly. Do you think that the state of the Rayo pitch will also condition Barcelona after what happened in Valencia?