Real Madrid vs Villarreal
Real Madrid and Villarreal will have a few days to rest before they square off at the Bernabeu this Saturday evening. Both of these teams are planning to take the top spot in the La Liga standings, and they’re within arm’s reach of Barcelona (19 points), who currently hold it after winning their previous league match against Real Sociedad.
Los Blancos are second with 18 points, and the Yellow Submarine are behind them with 16 points, and both teams are fresh from Champions League action yesterday. Xabi Alonso’s side won 5-0 against Kairat, while Marcelino Garcia Toral’s men held Juventus to a 2-2 draw. Besides trying to win this match, Real Madrid and Villarreal will both root for Sevilla to score an upset win against Barcelona this weekend.
There could be a new team at the top of the pile this weekend, and SBOTOP will preview the contest between Real Madrid and Villarreal.
Talking Points
Mbappe can’t stop scoring for Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe is off to a superb start in his second full season at Real Madrid. The 26-year-old striker hit a rich vein of form last September, as he found the back of the net in eight straight games, and has now recorded 17 goal involvements this term. Mbappe currently leads the Pichichi race with eight La Liga goals.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick against Kairat yesterday. With 60 goals in just 89 matches, the Frenchman became the third-fastest player to hit that Champions League milestone, trailing only Lionel Messi (80 matches) and Robert Lewandowski (85 matches). By doing so, he surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s pace, as the Real Madrid legend needed 98 matches to reach the same mark.
Real Madrid managed to rout Kairat, despite not having a natural full-back. Dani Carvajal is serving his Champions League suspension for his altercation with Marseille’s Geronimo Rulli last week, so head coach Xabi Alonso deployed Raul Asencio out of necessity.
Carvajal should be available against Villarreal because his suspension is not a domestic one. He should reclaim the starting right-back spot because Trent Alexander-Arnold remains out due to a hamstring injury.
Veiga comes up clutch for Villarreal
Renato Veiga emerged as the unlikely hero for Villarreal during yesterday’s 2-2 draw against Juventus, which gave them their first point in the Champions League this term. The 22-year-old centre-back, who joined the Yellow Submarine last offseason and was filling in for the injured Juan Foyth, scored the equaliser during stoppage time when his team was down 2-1 in the final moments. Veiga jumped high enough to head the ball into the net during Ilias Akhomach’s corner kick.
With that said, head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral will unlikely make wholesale changes in the starting XI against Real Madrid. Georges Mikautadze, who also scored against the Bianconeri, should continue to lead up front alongside Tajon Buchanan and Nicolas Pepe.
History
Real Madrid are undefeated in their last four La Liga matches against Villarreal (W3, D1), including a league double last season after they failed to win any of their previous four against the Yellow Submarine (D2, L2). Los Blancos haven’t won three straight La Liga matches against Villarreal since a run of five in 2011. They are coming off a 5-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid and haven’t lost two or more in a row in the Spanish top-flight since May 2019 under former boss Zinedine Zidane (L2).
Villarreal have lost 17 of their 25 La Liga matches against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu (W2, D6), their highest number of away losses against a single opponent in the Spanish top-flight. However, the Yellow Submarine have won three of their last five La Liga away matches against Madrid clubs (D1, L1).
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2025 odds expect Real Madrid to beat Villarreal this Saturday and take maximum points. Los Blancos are 1.42 favourites to win, whereas the Yellow Submarine are huge 5.60 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.53 in the 1X2 market.
Considering these two have scored goals recently, fans at the Bernabeu should expect to get their usual dose of La Liga 2025 highlights this Saturday, with the hosts likely to score more. Besides our recommended bet, bettors may also add Over 3.00 at 1.65, Over 3.25 at 1.91, Over 3.50 at 2.13, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.37 to the parlay. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of Los Blancos – the result of their last league matchup – is on offer at 7.60.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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