Fresh from securing their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Real Madrid will continue their La Liga campaign with a contest against top-four hopefuls Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica on Saturday night.
Los Blancos are currently second in the La Liga table, level on points with leaders Barcelona, while Villarreal occupy fifth, five points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao in the race for the Champions League spots.
Match preview
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Villarreal boast a record of 12 wins, eight draws and six defeats from their 26 league matches this season, with a total of 44 points leaving them in fifth position in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Athletic, who have played a game more.
The Yellow Submarine have been an entertaining watch this term, scoring 48 times, but they have conceded 36, which is the most in the top eight, and it could end up costing them the chance to secure Champions League football for next season.
Marcelino's side will enter this match off the back of a shock 1-0 defeat at Alaves, with that result ending a six-game unbeaten run, but they have only lost twice in front of their own supporters this season.
Villarreal have not finished fourth in Spain's top flight since the 2015-16 season, so there is plenty on the line this term, and it would be a huge statement if they were able to overcome Real Madrid on Saturday night.
The Yellow Submarine have incredibly only won six of their previous 52 matches against Real Madrid, but the points were shared in a 4-4 draw when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding game during the 2023-24 campaign.
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Real Madrid will enter this match off the back of a penalty-shootout win over Atletico in the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
The two sides were level at 2-2 on aggregate following extra time in the second leg on Wednesday night, meaning that a penalty shootout was required to determine which team would advance, and Los Blancos netted four of their five spot kicks to book a last-eight spot against Arsenal.
The Champions League can be parked for the time being, though, with two huge league games against Villarreal and Leganes to come before the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad on April 1.
Real Madrid were 2-1 winners over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga last weekend, and a total of 57 points from 27 matches has left them in second spot in the table, only behind leaders Barcelona on the head-to-head record, but the Catalan giants do have a game in hand.
It is set to be a huge weekend in the La Liga title race, as Barcelona travel to third-placed Atletico on Sunday evening, and Real Madrid will want to take advantage of at least one of their rivals dropping points.
Carlo Ancelotti's team have not been at their best for long stages of this season, and they again struggled against Atletico last time out, but it is difficult to ever write them off due to the immense quality in their squad.
Team News
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Villarreal will certainly be the fresher of the two teams, having not played since the defeat to Alaves last weekend.
Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach will again miss the match due to injury problems, while Kiko Femenia remains a major doubt, but the Yellow Submarine have not reported any fresh fitness concerns in the build-up to this match.
Head coach Marcelino is likely to keep with the majority of the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Alaves despite the disappointment of the result, but there could be a change in the final third, with Thierno Barry potentially coming in for Nicolas Pepe.
As for Real Madrid, Ferland Mendy will miss out with the muscular problem that forced him off against Atletico, while Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Dani Ceballos and Jesus Vallejo remain sidelined.
Head coach Ancelotti will make changes from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Atletico, with Fran Garcia in line to start at left-back, while Lucas Vazquez should be introduced on the right.
Luka Modric is another likely to drop down to the bench, but due to the importance of the match, it is expected that Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe will again all be in the XI.
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Conde; Foyth, Kambwala, Costa, S Cardona; Pino, Gueye, Parejo, Baena; Barry, Perez
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
We say: Villarreal 1-2 Real Madrid
This is a huge match, and Villarreal will be confident after watching Real Madrid's struggles against Atletico last time out; we were extremely close to backing a draw here, but we believe that Real Madrid will find a way to secure a huge three points on Saturday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
