Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal

Estadio Metropolitano is the venue as Atletico Madrid and Villarreal go head-to-head in a tasty-looking La Liga encounter.

Atletico Madrid’s jaw-dropping 15-game winning streak in all competitions ended abruptly at La Liga minnows Leganes last weekend (0-1), yet they bounced back with a stunning 2-1 comeback win against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek Champions League action. That shocking defeat derailed the home team’s pursuit of their first La Liga title since 2020/21, allowing Real Madrid to go two points clear at the top of the table. The impending home return should increase Atletico’s chances of getting back to the win column as they remain the only side in La Liga yet to lose a home league fixture this season (W8, D2). Moreover, Diego Simeone’s men have conceded a league-low six goals on home turf, where only Barcelona and Real Madrid have beaten ‘Los Colchoneros’ more often than Villarreal (3) since the Argentine’s arrival.

On the other hand, Villarreal emphatically responded to a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad at the start of 2025, beating Mallorca 4-0 at home earlier this week to maintain a six-point deficit on fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao. However, a lack of consistency has been the scourge of Villarreal’s lofty ambitions, with their last five league games alternating between various outcomes (W2, D1, L2). Adding to Marcelino’s lengthy list of issues, his men have only won one La Liga away match since the beginning of November (D1, L2), conceding precisely two goals on three occasions. ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ can draw heart from avoiding defeat on three of their last four top-flight visits to Atletico Madrid (W1, D2, L1), keeping two clean sheets in that sequence.