Real Madrid vs. Villarreal: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Real Madrid will resume their 2024-25 La Liga campaign with a home match against Villarreal on Saturday night, with the objective of responding to their first loss since January.

Villarreal, who opened the season strongly, is currently in third place on the La Liga table, one point behind their opponents this weekend. Carlo Ancelotti's team is currently in second place, three points behind the leaders Barcelona.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Ancelotti, the manager of Real Madrid, will be expecting a response from his players this weekend. Los Blancos were at a disadvantage in their 1-0 loss to Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with Jonathan David's penalty following an Eduardo Camavinga handball serving as the deciding factor between the two teams.

The team's initial loss in all competitions since January was compounded by their disappointment in the Madrid derby last weekend, in which they conceded a last-gasp equalizer to Atletico Madrid, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Real Madrid has not performed at its highest level this season; however, it remains unblemished in La Liga, with its most recent defeat occurring against Atletico in September 2023. They are currently ranked second in the table, a mere three points behind Barcelona.

A victory over Villarreal on Saturday would significantly alleviate the concerns of all those associated with the capital titans. However, another subpar performance and disappointing outcome would only serve to increase Ancelotti's workload, given the exceptionally high standards he has established.

The Yellow Submarine, who have yet to be in action since their league contest at home to Las Palmas on September 30, will undoubtedly be the fresher of the two teams, as they have only won one of their last six league games against Real Madrid. Last season, Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 4-1 at Bernabeu.

Villarreal's eighth-place result in La Liga last season was a disappointment, as they had previously achieved fifth and seventh place in their previous four seasons.

The Yellow Submarine has yet to achieve a top-four finish since 2015-16. However, they are certainly capable of pursuing it this season, as they have made an impressive start, currently sitting third in the table with a record of five wins, two draws, and one defeat from their first eight matches, totaling 17 points.

Marcelino's team has emerged victorious in three of their most recent four league matches, including their most recent two against Espanyol and Las Palmas. This season, they have scored on 17 occasions, which is the second-best attacking record in the division, trailing only Barcelona (25).

However, Villarreal has conceded 15 times this season, which is the third-worst defensive record. Consequently, they will need to improve their defensive performance in order to be a serious contender for a Champions League berth.

On Saturday night, El Submarino Amarillo will be seeking to capitalize on a potential Champions League fatigue for the Spanish and European champions, as they have won two of their last four league games against Real Madrid, including a 3-2 victory at Bernabeu in April 2023.

Real Madrid x Villareal Team News

Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid's primary goalkeeper, will be absent once more due to a hip injury. Consequently, Andriy Lunin will once again serve as the starting goalkeeper.

Aurelien Tchouameni may be necessary in the center of the defense against Villarreal due to Eder Militao's quadriceps injury, which necessitated his departure from the match against Lille. He is also a significant doubt.

Despite the fact that Kylian Mbappe returned from injury earlier than anticipated to serve as a substitute against Lille, the Frenchman is now expected to be included in the starting lineup on Saturday. Rodrygo, who was unable to participate against Lille due to a minor injury he sustained in the Madrid derby, is also anticipated to start.

The hosts are without David Alaba, Dani Ceballos, and Brahim Diaz, in addition to Courtois and potentially Militao.

Willy Kambwala, Gerard Moreno, Juan Foyth, and Alfonso Pedraza will be absent from Villarreal due to fitness issues, while Denis Suarez and Ayoze Perez are significant uncertainties for the visitors.

Perez's absence would be particularly detrimental, as the Spanish forward has been in exceptional form this season, netting six goals in La Liga. However, it is not anticipated that he will recuperate in a timely manner.

Last time out, Alex Baena scored off the bench against Las Palmas and is expected to be included in the starting lineup. Nicolas Pepe, who scored his first goal of the season, may also be given a start in the middle.

Our Predictions

Real Madrid will win over 2.5 goals @ 1.50 on Sky247.ng.

Villarreal's anticipated absence of Perez will be a significant one, and we are solely supporting Real Madrid in this regard. Villarreal is a high-quality team, so it would not be surprising to see the points shared. However, Real Madrid should be able to recover from their unexpected loss to Lille in the Champions League.

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