Barcelona name Lamine Yamal in starting XI for Matchday 3 clash with Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou
Barcelona will host Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou on Monday, August 31, 2026, in a LaLiga 2026-27 Matchday 3 fixture, with full lineups confirmed and Lamine Yamal included in Barcelona’s starting XI.
Barcelona began their title defence with consecutive victories, beating Elche 5-0 in the season opener and Athletic Club 2-0 in their second match; Raphinha and Fermin Lopez both scored braces in the 5-0 win while new signing Karim Adeyemi also scored, and Raphinha and Fermin scored again in the 2-0 victory. The club arrives at Camp Nou on the back of a 20-game home winning run. Hansi Flick will be seeking to extend that run and secure a third straight league clean sheet.
Barcelona’s confirmed starting XI was: Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Andreas Christensen, Xavi Espart; Marc Bernal, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Anthony Gordon; Raphinha. The substitutes listed on the bench were Wojciech Szczesny (gk), Eder Aller (gk), Joao Cancelo, Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez, Karim Adeyemi, Rodri, Gerard Martin, Eric Garcia, Brian Farinas and Hamza Abdelkarim. The club shared the lineup via its matchday announcement on social media.
Rayo Vallecano’s starting XI was named as: Dani Cardenas; Ivan Balliu, Florian Lejeune, Pathe Ciss, Jozhua Vertrouwd; Oscar Valentin; Jorge de Frutos, Gnangoro Bouare, Unai Lopez, Alvaro Garcia; Sergio Camello. Their substitutes included Adrian Molina (gk), Alemao, Marco de las Sias, Pedro Diaz, Pelayo Fernandez, Randy Nteka, Adria Pedrosa, Fran Perez, Andrei Ratiu, Marco Roman and Georgiy Tsitaishvili. Beñat San José selected Rayo’s eleven for the trip to Barcelona.
Rayo have yet to record a win this season, opening with a 2-1 away defeat to Sevilla before taking a 1-1 home draw with Deportivo Alaves to claim their first point. The Alaves match was not played at Estadio de Vallecas because of health and safety violations. Those results leave Rayo still searching for a first league victory ahead of Matchday 3.
The Matchday 3 fixture will be played on Monday, August 31, 2026, with kick‑off listed as 1:00 AM IST on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, for viewers in India, and the game takes place at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain. Khel Now circulated the lineups and additional match coverage via its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels and its Android and iOS apps.
Both teams meet in a LaLiga 2026-27 Matchday 3 encounter that will contribute to the early-season standings on matchday completion.
