Atleticovs.Villarreal

Diego Simeone's side are currently second in the La Liga table, two points behind the leaders Real Madrid, while Villarreal occupy fifth spot, six points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao in the race for Champions League qualification.

Match preview

Atletico saw a 15-game winning run in all competitions come to an end last weekend, when they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Leganes, but Simeone's team bounced back impressively in the Champions League on Tuesday, beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-1.

The Red and Whites are fifth in the Champions League table and on course to automatically qualify for the knockout round of the competition, while they are firmly in the La Liga title picture, sitting second, two points behind Real Madrid.

The reigning champions are not in action until Saturday evening against Real Valladolid, so a win here would move Atletico back to the top of the division, and they have been excellent on home soil this term, picking up 26 points from their 10 La Liga matches at Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico have only conceded six times at home in La Liga this term, but they will be taking on a free-scoring Villarreal outfit that have 38 goals in La Liga this term - the second-best attacking record behind Barcelona (52) and Real Madrid (47).

The capital giants have not lifted the La Liga title since the 2020-21 campaign, and it would be some achievement if they could finish above Real Madrid and Barcelona, while the team are also chasing success in the Copa del Rey.

Unlike Atletico, Villarreal only have the league to focus on for the remainder of the season, and the Yellow Submarine are firmly in the top-four race in La Liga, currently sitting fifth, six points behind fourth-placed Athletic.

Marcelino's side have had their issues this term when it comes to consistency, but they have now won two of their last three in the league, beating Leganes and Mallorca either side of a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad.

Villarreal boast a record of nine wins, six draws and five defeats during the 2024-25 campaign, while as mentioned, they have scored 38 times, but their defensive record is poor, conceding 31 times in their 20 matches.

The Yellow Submarine have actually only lost two of their last seven La Liga matches with Atletico, and the points were shared in a 2-2 draw when they locked horns for the reverse game earlier this season.

Atletico were 3-1 winners at Wanda Metropolitano last term, but Villarreal have a recent away league success over the Red and Whites to their name, having triumphed 2-0 in this fixture in August 2022.

Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Villarreal La Liga form:

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Team News

Atletico could again be missing Alexander Sorloth on Saturday due to injury, while Javi Galan is out of the contest through suspension, but the home team are otherwise in strong shape for the visit of Villarreal.

Simeone could switch back to a 4-4-2 for this match, having played a 5-4-1 against Leverkusen, with Antoine Griezmann being pushed into the spot alongside Julian Alvarez in the final third of the field.

Conor Gallagher was an unused substitute against Leverkusen but is expected to be in the starting side on Saturday, while Robin Le Normand could be asked to operate as a full-back in Galan's absence.

As for Villarreal, Diego Conde remains a doubt due to a knee problem, while Alfonso Pedraza and Ilias Akhomach remain unavailable for selection this weekend.

Ayoze Perez made his return from injury off the bench against Mallorca last time out, and the forward, who has scored 11 times in all competitions during the 2024-25 campaign, should now be introduced back into the XI.

Gerard Moreno is likely to be the player to drop out, with Perez expected to feature alongside Thierno Barry in a front two, while there will be another start for Alex Baena, who is believed to be a transfer target for Atletico.

Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Lenglet, Le Normand; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez

Villarreal possible starting lineup:

Luiz Junior; Femenia, Foyth, Costa, S Cardona; Pino, Gueye, Parejo, Baena; Perez, Barry

We say: Atletico Madrid 2-1 Villarreal

This is set to be a fascinating match; Villarreal will be the fresher of the two sides and will enter the clash off the back of an excellent performance against Mallorca, but Atletico performed brilliantly with 10 men against Leverkusen, and we are expecting Simeone's side to navigate their way to all three points on Saturday.

Written by

Matt Law

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