Rayo Vallecano will go into Thursday’s match against Espanyol without three of its central defenders, a blow that leaves the club scrambling to patch together a back line for what is being treated as its first relegation final of the season. Florian Lejeune and Mendy are suspended after picking up their fifth yellow card at Son Moix, while Luiz Felipe is injured after the return leg of the Conference.
That leaves Vertrouwd and Mumin as the only other natural central defenders in the squad, though Mumin has not played since 1 March 2025 after recovering from a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury. Pathé Ciss could be used there in an emergency, but the burden falls mostly on Vertrouwd, who has logged 1,007 minutes in 16 matches across seven league matches, six Conference matches and three Copa ties. He has the highest winning percentage among Rayo’s center backs at 56.25 percent.
Rayo’s defensive numbers offer some comfort. The team has conceded 38 goals in LaLiga and kept nine clean sheets, more than it had managed at this stage last season. But the margin is thin. Augusto Batalla was hurt in the first leg against AEK, rested against Mallorca to get to the Conference return leg, and finished that match limping. He is expected to be on the bench against Espanyol.
Lejeune’s absence matters even more because he has been the team’s key defensive figure. Before this jornada began, he had played 4,058 minutes in all competitions, more than any other player in Spain and more than Federico Valverde’s 3,797 minutes and Vinicius’s 3,728. He was also the fifth-most used player in Europe. He has missed only one Rayo match this season, the Copa debut in Yuncos, which is why his suspension lands so hard now.
There is still a path for Rayo to get through the night, but it runs through improvisation. Álvaro and Nteka are injured, Ilias is a doubt, and Fran Pérez is available again. The club has recently found more defensive balance than last season, but that stability is about to be tested with very little room for error.
Espanyol brings its own pressure into Vallecas. The team has not won in 2026, with nine defeats and five draws, and coach Manolo González is weighing two different formations. He could start Kike and Roberto together, while Riedel is available again after serving his suspension. The result will not settle Rayo’s season, but it will tell a lot about how long the team can keep standing with its defense stripped down to the bare minimum.
