Real Madrid travel to the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas to take on Rayo Valleceno as they look to catch leaders Barcelona in the La Liga.
Following their defeat in the Clasico against Barcelona, the Los Blancos made a very strong comeback against in their succeeding game, crushing the relegation-threatened Granda for 9-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo also seemed to rediscover his form during that game as he ended up scoring five goals (a La Liga record) after scoring a hat-trick in a span of only eight minutes.
Although the result in the last fixture highly improved their goal differences, they are still four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, who also managed to grab a narrow 1-0 win against Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Considering their current form, Real Madrid are expected to easily beat Rayo on Wednesday, but manager Carlo Ancelotti insists that the Vallecanos could prove to be "tough opponents" due to their "playing style."
"We have to be aware that they will be tough opponents who have a clear playing style," the former Chelsea boss told Real Madrid's official website. "They are a dogged and well-organised unit. We need to continue with the same attitude we had against Granada, but we must be aware that it is going to be an even more difficult task".
The Italian also feels that Rayo's current form will give them the confidence to do well against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
"Rayo are enjoying their best spell of the season at the moment and the league standings clearly reflect that," he added.
"They have won their last four games at home. I always prefer playing against sides that close things up at the back because it means you can control the play. They will be looking to control the play and the tempo of the game tomorrow. Rayo like to have possession of the ball and we understand the difficulty this match poses".
Meanwhile, Rayo will also be hoping to get a positive result against the Los Blancos despite them being the underdogs on Wednesday.
Apart from their 1-6 loss against Barcelona on 8 March, Rayo have been in pretty good form, recording four wins in their last five La Liga fixtures.
They have especially been very strong at home of late, scoring eight and conceding only three in their last three La Liga fixtures.
Although Rayo's are expected to lose against Real Madrid on Wednesday, manager Paco is certain that Ancelotti's men will not be able to score nine goals against them.
"It's highly unlikely that Madrid will put nine past us – it's very difficult to get a result like that," Paco told AS.
"It requires two things coming together: a team with a great deal of impetus and desire and also for the opposing team to play badly. That's not to say it couldn't happen but a lot of things could happen."
On being asked about his side's tactics on Wednesday, the 44-year-old replied: "We want to put Madrid under as much pressure as we can. We won't worry about the result. Nobody likes losing but that's the furthest from my mind right now. We confront these kinds of matches as a bonus."
Expected Line-ups
Rayo Vallecano: Alvarez; Tito, Ze Castro, Ba, Insua; Baena, Jozabed, Embarba, Kakuta; Manucho, Bueno
Real Madrid: Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric, Isco; Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema
Where to watch live
The La Liga match is set to begin at 10pm local time (1:30am IST, 9pm BST, 4pm EDT) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD 4. Viewers in India can also catch all the action via live streaming online on Starsports.com.
Viewers in the UK can catch all the action on Sky Sports 5 and Sky Sports 5 HD, while the option to live stream is on Sky Go. The Barcelona vs Almeria game will be shown live in the US and Canada on Bein Sports USA and Bein Sports Canada respectively with the live streaming option on Bein Sports Connect.
Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the match on Bein Sports Arabia or Bein Sports Connect, while the audience in Australia can enjoy the action live on Fox Sports 4 and Foxtel Play.
