La Liga action returns this weekend, and two sides competing for a spot in the Europa League will face off on Saturday evening.
La Liga Preview
This weekend’s fixture will be a must-win game for Granada if they have any chance of qualifying for the Europa League. The points difference between the two sides already stands at seven points, which means any hope of Granada catching Villarreal could be over if that gap extends to ten points. Form certainly isn’t on their side coming into the fixture, as they have lost four of their last six games, and have picked up just two wins during that run of games. Granada have won just once in their last three, and come into this game having been beaten last time out by Valencia. Valencia controlled that game, and limited Granada to just three shots on target in the 90 minutes. Granada didn’t get their goal until the closing stages, but they will be looking for a morale-boosting result this weekend ahead of a huge clash in the Europa League on Thursday evening against Manchester United.
Villarreal are just two points outside of the Europa League places coming into this fixture. A Europa League spot looks to be the only attainable goal for them this season, as they are 12 points away from the Champions League spots in Spain. Unlike Granada, Villarreal have been able to recover their form after going three without a win. Most recently, they have won back-to-back games in La Liga, with the second of those victories coming before the international break against Cadiz. Gerard Moreno and Carlos Bacca scored the goal in that victory. The win this weekend could see them end the round of fixtures in the Europa League spots.
Granada vs Villarreal Head To Head
Granada have only recorded two victories against Villarreal in La Liga. The most recent of their wins came in March 2014, as they won 2-1. Since then, Villarreal have won five of the nine meetings. However, the last fixture between the teams ended in a draw.
Granada vs Villarreal Prediction
Villarreal have been in better form than their opponents this weekend, while Granada have also struggled in the past against Villarreal. For that reason, we can’t see anything other than a win for the travelling side to all but end Granada’s push for a Europa League finish.
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