Real Madrid were able to get back to winning ways on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu, disposing of crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 behind goals from Rodrygo Goes and Brahim Diaz.
On Sunday, Real Madrid will stay at the Santiago Bernabeu to take on Rayo Vallecano, another local rival whom the Merengues last drew 3-3 at Vallecas in December - a game they would have easily lost without the heroics of Rodrygo, who started on the left wing with Vinicius Junior on the bench.
Really, the entire Real Madrid team has a point to prove this weekend against a Rayo side they couldn't beat in their last matchup, especially after Real just lost 2-1 to Betis at the Benito Villamarin last weekend.
But here are three Royal White players who, in particular, have a major point to prove on Sunday afternoon at the Bernabeu.
LW Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior didn't have the most impactful game against Real Betis, but he was downright poor against Atletico Madrid, heavily disappointing in a Derbi matchup on a Champions League night - the kind of game the Brazilian superstar usually grabs by the scruff of the neck.
Honestly, we haven't seen Vini Jr. grab as many big games by the horns this season as in the past couple of years, and if he wants to start pushing Mohamed Salah for a Ballon d'Or that the Egyptian international appears to be running away with, then he's going to have to shine in every game.
This rivalry matchup is always a tough one for Real Madrid, but it will be made a lot easier if Vinicius Junior can get the better of Rayo right back Andrei Ratiu, who has been their team's best player this season.
LB Fran Garcia
Fran Garcia had a rough night the last time Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano faced off in December, and the bumbling performance must have felt that much worse for Fran, who made a name for himself as a Rayo player.
At Rayo, Fran established himself as one of the best - and most athletic - left backs in Spanish football, earning a permanent move back to Real Madrid. But back at the Bernabeu, Fran has struggled, and even though Carlo Ancelotti has given him every opportunity to do so, he's never been able to secure the starting spot over Ferland Mendy.
Although the stats flatter him a bit, Mendy has assisted in each of the past two games, and attacking is the only area where Mendy is deficient. So if Fran has a poor outing against Rayo, struggling defensively against Adri Embarba while failing to support Vini Jr. adequately against Ratiu, then we are talking about the young Spaniard playing for his job in Madrid.
Real Madrid fans are looking for any reason to replace Fran, who, to this point, hasn't proven that he's even good enough to make the team's squad, much less start regularly.
ST Kylian Mbappe
In Florian Lejeune, Rayo Vallecano have one of the most rugged and established performers at the center back position in LaLiga, and the former Deportivo Alaves man is fully capable of keeping even Kylian Mbappe in check.
Although Mbappe is Real's leading scorer this season and a cut above even his illustrious teammates in the forward line, his recent resurgence has cooled since a tooth extraction, which Ancelotti partially blamed for a shockingly poor performance against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
In truth, Mbappe doesn't have much to prove to the world, but he does have a point to prove to himself. Any world-class footballer with the potential to be the world's best is going to look at some of the basic errors he made against Atleti.
It includes a woeful low cross to Vini Jr. in the final minutes that could have sealed the entire tie, and want to make up for the mistakes - and then some - in the very next game. Mbappe will need to be at his sharpest off the ball and dazzling best on it to make a hard-nosed Rayo backline pay on Sunday.