Manchester United face Spanish side Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford on Sunday. It is United’s final pre-season friendly before the start of the Premier League season, when Brighton visit the Theatre of Dreams on August 7th.
It will be an interesting affair as United are set to field a completely different team to the one that started in Oslo against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Here is a look at both United’s and Rayo Vallecano’s form leading into Sunday’s clash at Old Trafford:
Manchester United
United’s pre-season has yielded good results overall. Erik ten Hag’s side kicked off the tour with a 4-0 win against Liverpool in Bangkok.
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The team then travelled to Melbourne, where A-League side Melbourne Victory were beaten 4-1 by the Reds. It was then Crystal Palace who were defeated 3-1 by Ten Hag's men.
Anthony Martial got himself on the scoresheet in each of these three games as he looks refreshed ahead of the new campaign.
United also played an extra game in Perth, where they conceded a late goal to draw 2-2 against Aston Villa.
Jadon Sancho was on the scoresheet for United, to score what was his third goal of the tour, as he too experiences a solid pre-season.
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Last Wednesday, United played National League side Wrexham in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Carrington. New signings Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen both featured for the Red Devils.
The Denmark international got himself onto the scoresheet, as he scored a free-kick in a 4-1 win.
Meanwhile, United's latest test against Atletico Madrid saw their first loss under Ten Hag as Joao Felix scored a late winner in a tight game which ended 1-0.
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Whilst it was the wrong result, there were also positives to be taken from the game in Norway. Ten Hag, however, will be looking to end pre-season with a win at Old Trafford.
The Opposition: Rayo Vallecano
Sunday’s opponents, Rayo Vallecano finished 12th in La Liga last season.
Their pre-season has seen them get mixed results. In their first game, they lost 3-0 away to Bundesliga side SC Freiburg.
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They then travelled to England, where they played, and beat, Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at Hillsborough before making a trip to St Andrew’s to play Birmingham City. The Championship side held Rayo Vallecano to a 2-2 draw.
Most recently, on Wednesday, the La Liga side overcame fellow Spanish team Leganes to win 2-1 away from home. Former United striker Radamel Falcao scored the winning goal late on, as his side beat Leganes in their final game before heading to Old Trafford.
United will look to end their preseason on a positive note with a win against Rayo Vallecano. Erik ten Hag will no doubt hope that his side can gain some more ideal preparation ahead of the Premier League opener in just over one week.
Topics: Manchester United, La Liga, Premier League, Football, Erik Ten Hag
Joe Nuttall