Sunday’s football schedule makes for interesting reading if you’re a lover of European football, with many eye-catching fixtures on the schedule. Following the drama and excitement of spending midweek following the Champions League and Europa League, fans are back in the thick of the continent’s top divisions, including the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, and the German Bundesliga. Many games are broadcast live on television, and our team of football content writers covers the biggest attractions, offering in-depth previews and well-researched predictions.
The game that caught our eye from the Spanish La Liga is played on Sunday from 20:00 GMT in the Spanish capital, where Real Madrid host Villarreal in an interesting match. Madrid holds the home advantage and will be eager to make it count, while Villarreal knows the size of the challenge ahead of them on Sunday but takes confidence from their host’s patchy form that has seen them drop points in two of their last five games, including their most recent outing. There’s everything to play for in Madrid, but which team will win?
Madrid playing catch-up
Real Madrid have improved on last season and are going great guns in La Liga. The locals begin round 17 of their season with stats showing a dozen wins, three draws, and just one defeat, with 34 goals scored and ten conceded. Blancos has collected 39 points, and that’s already five more than old rivals Barcelona and neighbours Atletico Madrid, but most fans expect those teams to fight back during the campaign. Despite being clear of their rivals, Madrid is second in the league, trailing leaders Girona by two points.
Real Madrid recently fired off three La Liga wins on the bounce but dropped two points in their most recent league game when drawing with Real Betis in Seville. It was a game they were expected to win against a team playing in the Europa League, but perhaps Real Madrid had one eye on their midweek Champions League outing. Their visit to Betis ended 1-1, with Bellingham opening the scoring on 53 minutes before Ruibal equalised on 66. Real had chances to win the game, but, in the end, the draw was a fair result.
Villarreal lacks consistency
It has already been a difficult season for Villarreal and its fans, with the club failing to reach the expected standards. They travel to Madrid sitting down in 13th position in the Spanish La Liga table, with their stats for the season showing four wins, four draws, and eight defeats with 22 goals scored and 29 conceded. When taking a closer look at those numbers, we note Villarreal has conceded more goals than most teams beneath them in the pecking order, including relegation-threatened Celta Vigo. Tightening their defence is now a priority for all concerned.
Bet hereVillarreal’s low position is a result of a lack of consistency, with the visitors’ last five league games giving a snapshot of the campaign. They have lost three of their previous five outings, winning one and drawing the spare. We last saw Villarreal in action, suffering another defeat when losing at home to Real Sociedad. The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for fans, but the performance angered a few with that poor defence causing problems from the first whistle. Much better is required if Villarreal is to avoid a heavy loss on Sunday.
Real Madrid vs Villareal prediction
Let’s try to keep things as simple as possible when previewing this fixture. Real Madrid is pushing for the top spot in the league and enjoying a long unbeaten run. Villarreal is sinking towards the relegation zone, and their defensive stats suggest more challenging times lie ahead for supporters. If this game follows the form, it should result in a strong home win for Real Madrid, and we already know the locals are scoring for fun.
Villarreal players and fans arrive in Madrid knowing they face an uphill struggle to get even a point from this game, but they take confidence from knowing their opponents had a tough game in midweek. Could Madrid take their eye off the ball like they did last weekend when drawing with Real Betis? It’s possible, and Villarreal will aim to catch their hosts off-guard by scoring an early goal.
La Liga odds
22Bet members can wager on the result of Real Madrid vs Villarreal using their desktop computer or smartphone, but which team do you think will win the three points? Real Madrid is the pre-game favourite, and you can back a home victory at 1.25. Prefer an upset at bigger odds? Villarreal is priced at 10, while the draw is also an option at 6.4.
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