adminMADRID. — Rafael Benitez could take charge of Real Madrid for the final time should the Spanish soccer giants fail to end an alarming slump to see off humble city rivals Rayo Vallecano tomorrow. Madrid have lost three of their last five league games to slip five points behind leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid with Benitez rumoured to be one more defeat away from the sack.
However, it would take a monumental collapse for Real to fail to add to a run of 14 consecutive wins against Rayo stretching back over 15 years.
Barca’s participation in the Club World Cup this weekend does at least allow Madrid to cut the gap on one of their title rivals before La Liga shuts down for 10 days over Christmas. Moreover, Benitez could have a fully-fit squad to choose from as Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal stepped up their recovery from injury this week.
Toni Kroos was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up for the 1-0 defeat at Villarreal last weekend amid rumours of a bust-up with Benitez. — AFP.
Online Reporter