Title-chasing Atletico Madrid will face free-scoring Villarreal in a crucial La Liga encounter, with both teams eager to maintain their quest for success.
The nature of this La Liga race is rather brutal, as seen by Atletico Madrid last weekend. It’s been 15 games in all competitions that the Roji Blancos dropped any points in as Leganes brought an end to an incredible winning run across all competitions for Diego Simeone’s men.
After such a run, any team would have had some cushion to sit back on, but not Atletico Madrid, as Real Madrid immediately pegged them back in the La Liga standings. The Red & White side of Madrid are already trailing their arch rivals by two points, as Real Madrid took full advantage of the slightest drop off from Simeone’s men.
It did not take long for Simeone’s men to bounce back from adversity as they recorded a stunning win against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. Trailing a goal and with a man down, it did feel like a matter of time before the Germans scored another. Instead, Julian Alvarez fought a goal back and then when Leverkusen went down to 10 men, the Argentine found another goal to take all three points.
As for their opponents at the weekend, Villarreal is having a top-notch season by their standards under Marcelino. The Yellow Submarines are firmly in the race for a top-four spot and have been in free-scoring form this season.
Villarreal’s tally of 38 goals in La Liga so far has been bettered by only Barcelona and Real Madrid, as they could prove a viable threat to Atletico on Saturday. Marcelino’s men have two wins in their last three games, and they only have the league to worry about, as the club firmly targets a win tomorrow as well as closing in on fourth-placed Athletic Club.
Team News & Tactics
Atletico Madrid
Simeone could tweak his lineup for this one, as there are some changes expected from their midweek win over Leverkusen. For instance, Javi Galan is suspended for this clash, which could see Robin Le Normand return to the squad as a left-back in what could be a change up to a back four rather than the back-five that he deployed in midweek.
The Atletico boss could bring his variation of the 4-4-2 into the equation, as Conor Gallagher could start this one on the wide left area, and Marcos Llorente could drop down to the bench. Rodrigo De Paul and Pablo Barrios are the ones expected to keep their midfield spots, while Guiliano Simeone will start in a wide-left role.
Clement Lenglet is the other player missing with a suspension, while striker Alexander Sorloth is once again a big doubt to feature due to an injury. Hence, Antoine Griezmann and midweek hero Alvarez are expected to form a front-two partnership, in the hope of scoring past the Villarreal defence on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Molina, Gimenez, Le Normand, Reinildo;Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Alvarez, Griezmann
Villarreal
There are a few absentees for Marcelino, Diego Conde is a doubt for the visitors with a knee issue, while there are others like Alfonso Pedraza and Illias Akhomach unavailable for selection. Overall, Marcelino will have a strong setup to face Atletico, as Ayoze Perez also made a return from injury against Mallorca the last time out.
The integration of the attacker will be key for Villarreal, as he has 11 goals across all competitions and is key to their plans in the future. With the forward now in contention, Gerard Moreno is the one to likely drop out of the starting eleven, as Theirno Barry will partner with Perez in the front two for Villarreal.
Atletico Madrid target Alex Baena will also start for the visitors, while Yeremy Pino is expected to start on the other wing. Dani Parejo and Pape Gueye will marshal the central midfield zones, while Juan Foyth and Logan Costa will take up the central defensive positions for Villarreal.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Junior; Femenia, Foyth, Costa, Cardona; Pino, Parejo, Gueye, Baena; Perez, Barry
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid have scored at least 2 goals in 7 of their last 8 matches against Villarreal in all competitions.
- Atletico Madrid are undefeated in 12 of their last 13 matches against Villarreal in all competitions.
- Atletico Madrid have won 15 of their last 16 games across all competitions.
- Villarreal trails fourth-placed Athletic Club by 6 points.
- Villarreal are the third most prolific club in La Liga this season with 38 goals.
Player to Watch
Julian Alvarez
The headline maker from midweek, as the Argentine justified why Atletico paid a huge fee to secure his services from Manchester City. Alvarez was the catalyst to the win for his side in midweek when they were a man and a goal down to Bayer Leverkusen.
He put in a display that featured fight and grit as well as clinical showing in front of goal, as Simeone will want more of that from the Argentine. There’s a lot at stake this season in Europe and Spain, meaning Alvarez must continue to push with game-changing performances, especially with strike partner Sorloth absent.
Prediction
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Villarreal
The away side are one of the surprise packages in La Liga this season, and while they are expected to score past this Atletico defence, the likelihood of a win is considered remote. Marcelino’s men have the guile to pose a threat here, but they are facing one of the in-form sides on the continent.
Atletico Madrid showed plenty of fight and grit in their midweek win in the Champions League, as Simeone will be confident of another victory at the weekend. The result to Leganes will be seen as a mere blip in their run, as the Madrid giants will likely return to winning ways against Villarreal, and continue to keep the pressure on Real Madrid at the top.
