Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano time, TV channel, live stream, lineups, and betting odds for La Liga match

Barcelona open their La Liga campaign as they host mid-table finishers Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou on Saturday.

The Blaugrana will start off the campaign with four of its five prized summer acquisitions after successfully registering them just one day before the opening match. In order to pull it off Barcelona had to trigger yet another financial lever to get its books in shape for La Liga to clear the path for Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, and Franck Kessie to be available to play against Rayo. Jules Kounde’s registration is still pending and he won’t feature for now.

The new faces will give Barcelona a much better shot at revenge against a Rayo Vallecano side that did the league double over Barca last season with a pair of 1-0 victories. Rayo somehow managed to shut out an attacking line featuring Sergio Aguero in one match and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the other. Rayo’s win at the Camp Nou in April was their only victory across the final four months of the season.

The club from the Vallecas section of Madrid finished 12th in the table despite the late-season slip, which they will hope doesn’t translate into similar struggles during the coming 2022/23 league campaign.

MORE: Full rundown of latest Barcelona transfer news for summer 2022 window

Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano TV channel, live stream

UK: The match from the Camp Nou can be seen on Premier Sports 1 or LaLiga TV in the UK. In addition to being a TV channel, LaLiga TV streams on Amazon Prime Video in the region.

USA: Saturday’s match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano will be broadcast in the USA on ABC (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish), which are both available to be streamed on fuboTV. 

Canada: The match will be streamed by La Liga partner TSN in Canada.

Australia: All La Liga matches are available to stream on Optus Sport in Australia.

MORE: How Barcelona can still sign players despite financial issues

🔥 The best goals of the preseason! Starting with number 5️⃣…

This turn and finish by @Memphis had us all like 🤯 pic.twitter.com/VCBfOX2H0O

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 10, 2022

Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano projected lineups

Star signing Robert Lewandowski should lead the line now that he’s available. The question is who will support the prolific Polish international on each wing. If preseason is any indication, expect Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha to start on either side of him, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ansu Fati waiting in the wings on the bench. Memphis Depay is expected to depart the club soon and could be excluded from the matchday squad.

In midfield, the Frenkie de Jong transfer saga continues, meaning it’s likely that young Pedri and Gavi get the start with the Dutchman remaining on the bench. It remains to be seen whether Xavi prefers natural right-back Sergino Dest at the full-back position, or whether Sergi Roberto will continue to occupy that spot.

Barcelona projected starting lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen (GK) — Alba, Pique, Araujo, Dest — Pedri, Busquets, Gavi — Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele.

MORE: Full Barcelona squad list & player numbers for 2022/23 season

Rayo Vallecano finished last season in poor form, winning just two matches through the second half of the campaign. Still, a solid first-half saw them finish 12th in the table, and they will look to turn things back around with a fresh start.

Key to the attack will be Radamel Falcao who scored five goals in the first 13 weeks of last season before losing his place in the starting lineup. The Colombian missed the final preseason match of the summer and it remains to be seen whether he can beat out this year’s competition in Sergio Camello, or new arrivals Andres Martin and Sergio Moreno.

Manager Andoni Iraola is known for chopping and changing his starting lineup, so this is very much subject to change week-to-week. Luca Zidane and Sergi Guardiola, the sons of Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola, both left the club this summer and are no longer with the team.

Rayo Vallecano projected starting lineup (4-3-1-2): Dimitrievski (GK) — Hernandez, Catena, Lejeune, Balliu — U. Lopez, Pozo, Valentin — Trejo — S. Sanchez, Camello.

⚡️Preparando el #BarçaRayo de este sábado 🔜
Mañana, nueva sesión a puerta cerrada.#VamosRayo pic.twitter.com/mtvAzWASfi

— Rayo Vallecano (@RayoVallecano) August 10, 2022

Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano best bet & expert prediction

Odds via DraftKings (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)

There’s little value in picking Barcelona to win, as they are such heavy favorites that it ruins the experience.

Rayo may have held Barcelona off the scoresheet for two full matches last season, but doing so against the revitalized Blaugrana attack will be a completely different task altogether. The likes of Lewandowski, Dembele, Raphinha, and Aubameyang have all had a fantastic preseason and should be primed to fill the back of the net.

While Rayo is a strong defensive team, that Barcelona front line shouldn’t be held in check again, leaving Rayo needing to keep up. The mid-table side is not exactly prolific up front, and Barcelona should come away with a victory and a clean sheet.

• Pick: Barcelona to win to zero (-145 on DraftKings)
• Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Rayo Vallecano