Rayo Vallecano still needs its own Estadio de Vallecas back, but the club's matchday 6 fixture against Espanyol will now be played on Tuesday, 15 September, at the Municipal de Butarque in Leganés, the Comunidad de Madrid has confirmed.
The audit will not arrive in time
Mariano de Paco, the Comunidad de Madrid's consejero for Cultura, Turismo y Deporte, said the safety review of Vallecas will not be finished before the match. "Para el martes no llegará la auditoría" ("The audit will not arrive by Tuesday"), he admitted, as Mundo Deportivo reported.
De Paco added: "Si hubiera llegado estaría convencido de que me hubiera enterado. Estamos esperando y con ilusión e intentando que los plazos sean los más cortos posibles" ("If it had arrived I would be sure I'd have heard about it.").
Butarque becomes a second home
Rayo Vallecano already played home games at Butarque against Deportivo Alaves (1-1) and Racing de Santander (3-2, on 5 September 2026), and will do so again against an Espanyol side currently 12th in the table. In the last meeting between the two clubs, Rayo lost 1-0 away at Cornella on 7 December 2025.
The club sits 14th in La Liga with 4 points from 4 games, and Augusto Batalla, Jozhua Vertrouwd, Luiz Felipe, Randy Nteka and Ivan Balliu remain sidelined, according to the club's medical staff. Supporters can check the full list of injuries on our injuries page or the full squad on the squad page.
The complete La Liga calendar is available on the fixtures page, and the updated table can be found on standings.
