Ancelotti is under increasing pressure as faltering Real Madrid hosts Rayo

Real Madrid, under pressure from supporters after losing four of their last five La Liga games, must defeat Rayo Vallecano at home on Sunday in order to be in the running for the championship.

In a dramatic role reversal, Barcelona has taken the lead. Even though they played an additional game, Madrid had a 10-point lead over the Catalans at the end of January. However, their comfortable lead has since vanished, and they now face a fight to save the title.

Real Madrid is currently in third place with 54 points after blowing an early lead to lose 2-1 against Real Betis last weekend. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona is leading the league with 57 points, one point ahead of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.

Ancelotti will face a difficult task because his team is thin and has been dealing with multiple injuries to important players from the start of the season.

When Barca hosts Osasuna and Atletico visits Getafe, Flick and Simeone will also be thinking about squad management.

Given that both teams are vying for all three of the major prizes, it is anticipated that Barca and Atletico will switch around their rosters to prevent crucial players from exhausting themselves during a demanding schedule.

After winning 2-1 last week, Atletico will host city rivals Real Madrid in a tantalizing second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 match on Wednesday. On Sunday, they will take a quick bus ride to the south of Madrid to play Getafe.

Following a hard-fought victory against Benfica, where they played the majority of the game with ten men after teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was shown a straight red card early in the match, Barcelona will want to protect their 1-0 first-leg lead on Tuesday.

After their unrelenting effort on a field wet by the intense rain that had fallen all day in Lisbon, Barca’s players were worn out at the end of the game.

In order to give his regular players a break and save energy for what is sure to be another European midweek match, Hansi Flick is anticipated to start a significantly altered lineup against Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday.