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

Real Madrid will resume their La Liga season on Saturday night at Estadio de la Ceramica against top-four contenders Villarreal after their Champions League quarterfinal berth.

Los Blancos are in second position in La Liga, tied with Barcelona for first place, while Villarreal are in fifth place, five points behind Athletic Bilbao for fourth place, in the hunt for a berth in the Champions League.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

With 44 points after 26 league matches this season—12 victories, 8 draws, and 6 losses—Villarreal are in fifth place, five points behind Athletic, who have played one more game—but they have also played more games.

Although they have scored 48 goals so far this season, the Yellow Submarine have let in 36—more than any other team in the top eight—and this might be the reason they miss out on next season's Champions League participation.

Marcelino's squad is coming off a shocking 1-0 loss at Alaves, which ended a six-game winning streak, yet they have only lost twice this season while playing in front of their home fans.

It would make a tremendous statement if Villarreal could beat Real Madrid on Saturday night; they haven't finished in fourth place in Spain's top division since the 2015–16 season. A lot is riding on this term's results.

Incredibly, Real Madrid has only won six of its last fifty meetings against the Yellow Submarine. However, in their most recent meeting, in the 2023–24 season, the two clubs drew 4–4.

This matchup comes off Real Madrid's victory against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, which ended in a penalty shootout.

After regulation time in Wednesday's second leg, the two teams were tied 2-2 on aggregate. A penalty shootout was necessary to decide the winner. Los Blancos scored four goals from five attempts, advancing them to the semifinals, where they would face Arsenal.

With two massive league matches against Villarreal and Leganes ahead of them before the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal against Real Sociedad on April 1, they may temporarily set the Champions League aside.

After last weekend's 2-1 La Liga victory against Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid moved up to second place in the league with 57 points from 27 matches. They are now second only to Barcelona in head-to-head records, but the Catalan giants have a game in hand.

On Sunday night, Barcelona will go to third-placed Atletico, while Real Madrid will be looking to capitalize on a loss by one of their rivals. This sets up a monumental weekend in the La Liga championship battle.

Even though Carlo Ancelotti's side has been subpar for most of the season and struggled once again against Atletico, their incredible talent makes them impossible to discount.

Villarreal x Real Madrid Team News

With no competition since last weekend's loss to Alaves, Villarreal will undoubtedly be the more rested side.

While Kiko Femenia's health is still in question, and Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach will both be out with injuries, the Yellow Submarine has not announced any new health concerns leading up to this encounter.

Although the loss against Alaves was disappointing, head coach Marcelino is expected to start much of the same lineup despite the setback. However, Thierno Barry might replace Nicolas Pepe in the final third.

Real Madrid will be without Ferland Mendy, who was substituted against Atletico due to a muscle injury, as well as Eder Militao, Dani Ceballos, Jesus Vallejo, Dani Carvajal, and Ferland Mendy.

Ancelotti will make two substitutions from the starting lineup that faced Atletico: Fran Garcia will likely start at left-back, and Lucas Vazquez will likely come in as a substitute for the starting right-back.

Luka Modric is also set to be on the bench, but given the significance of the match, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Kylian Mbappe are all expected to start again.

Our predictions

Real Madrid to win @ 2.19 on Sky247.ng

After seeing Real Madrid's troubles against Atletico Madrid in their previous encounter, Villarreal will be feeling confident heading into this massive match. We were on the verge of betting a draw, but in the end, we think Real Madrid will find a way to grab a vital three points on Saturday night.

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