Football is a game of two halves, but there are seasons that have distinct “before” and “after” parts. For Barcelona, there is the part before their defeat at Rayo Vallecano and the part that came after it.As Barca and Rayo prepare to finally play their La Liga match at Camp Nou some three months after it was initially scheduled, one has to look back and admire the dramatic changes that happened in the fortunes of both teams.🔊 The best of what Xavi had to say ahead of today’s #BarçaRayo pic.twitter.com/ZdWAVTzLkZ— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 24, 2022 Last October, Rayo beat Barca 1-0 thanks to a Radamel Falcao strike and effectively ended Ronald Koeman’s time in the Blaugrana dugout. Then came Xavi.Barca were sixth in the table with 31 points on that fateful day, while Rayo were just below them with 30. Now, in late April, Barca are second, and Rayo are fourteenth with a 26-point gap between them.Barca’s result may not count for much on the league table, but it will be crucial for the team’s morale. Xavi will have to shuffle his cards on the night, some forced and some as an option. It could be a great opportunity for the manager to test his bench strength and plan for the next season.🇨🇴 ⚡️ Radamel Falcao could return to laying against Barcelona on Sunday after missing 2 months due to injury. His goal in the first game gave Rayo the victory and was the trigger for the dismissal of Ronald Koeman [sport] pic.twitter.com/GleZdRjKGY— FCBarcelonaFl (@FCBarcelonaFl) April 24, 2022 Rayo Vallecano have had a poor past two months but scored their first win in over 13 games against Espanyol earlier this week. Needless to say, they will look to take inspiration from their victory and keep the ship sailing.Should Barca win, they will be 12 points behind Real Madrid with five games left to play. Although their title hope has only theoretical possibilities, it would mean Madrid could celebrate the title in two weeks when they visit neighbours Atletico. But even if they don’t win the title, the transformation they’ve gone through since the last time they played tonight’s opponents is remarkable.LA LIGARearranged matchSunday22.00: (1.35) Barcelona (5.50) Rayo Vallecano (9.00)***odds are subject to change
