Rayo Vallecano vs. Barcelona live stream: La Liga prediction, TV channel, where to watch online, odds

Barcelona hope to extend their perfect start to the season on Tuesday, when they take on Rayo Vallecano in midweek La Liga action.

Hansi Flick's side are one of three La Liga teams to have won both of their opening games, but have the chance to solely occupy top spot by day's end at this early stage of the season if they win, since neither Villarreal nor Celta Vigo won their third game. They will take on a Rayo team that is undefeated to start the season and may include a new face in James Rodriguez, who joined the club on Monday a few weeks after winning the best player award at the Copa America. He may not be the only newcomer on Tuesday, either, as Barcelona hope to give Euro champion Dani Omo his debut.

Here's what you need to know before tuning in.

How to watch and odds

• Date : Tuesday, Aug. 27 | Time : 3:30 p.m. ET
• Location : Campo de Futbol de Vallecas -- Madrid, Spain
• Live stream: ESPN+
• Odds: Rayo Vallecano +480; Draw +290; Barcelona -175

Storylines

Things are so far, so good for Flick in his first competitive games as the Barcelona manager, steering his team to two dominant wins in league play. They seem to be resting on neutral for now, expectedly boasting high possession and passing numbers from their first couple of matches while also generating 31 shots between those two games and 5.05 expected goals while scoring four goals. Flick's team has yet to keep a clean sheet, notching back-to-back 2-1 wins to start the season, but it's unclear if this will be something that lingers over the course of the campaign.

As usual, though, the big story in late summer for Barcelona is less about the on-field performances and more about the off-field transfer saga. Days after unexpectedly offloading Ilkay Gundogan after just one season at the club, Barcelona may have cleared the way to register Olmo, their marquee signing of the summer. Olmo, though, is making it onto the roster because of a little loophole that allows La Liga teams to replace injured players. He will replace Andreas Christiensen, who picked up an Achilles injury that will leave him out for a month.

Per The Athletic , Olmo will be registered until the end of 2024 if La Liga gives Barcelona the green light and Christensen's registration will be unaffected. The situation, though, is another example of Barcelona's seemingly unsustainable game of roster tetris that shows no signs of slowing down amidst their years-long financial struggles.

Prediction

Olmo will undoubtedly make Barcelona better but even if he cannot make it in time to face Rayo, the team has what it needs to win a third straight La Liga game. Pick: Rayo Vallecano 1, Barcelona 2