Carlo Ancelotti having never lost against Villarreal, Madrid will feel confident of improving on that record to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders and rivals Barcelona
Villarreal
Villarreal left it late to beat Valencia 2-1 on their return to La Liga action following the World Cup, leaving manager Quique Setién a happy man. “Today was a special day for the club,” he said after they marked their return to the renovated Estadio de la Ceramica by beating their local rivals, an ideal way to kick off the club’s centenary year and continue their push for a European qualification place. After losing just one of their six home league games this term, they’ll hope the celebrations can continue as they host reigning La Liga champions Real Madrid. Although Villarreal haven’t beaten Madrid at home since December 2015, the last five H2Hs here were drawn, so they are no strangers to making life difficult for the visitors.
Real Madrid
Madrid also needed a late show against Real Valladolid on their return to action in a game sadly marred by racist chanting aimed at Vinicius Junior in particular. Despite that incident, they should be firing on all cylinders here with Luka Modric among those now available again, having been rested for that win, and with manager Carlo Ancelotti having never lost against Villarreal, Madrid will feel confident of improving on that record to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders and rivals Barcelona.
It’s been all or nothing for Los Blancos on the road this term, and after beating Cacereno 1-0 in a midweek Copa del Rey match, they’re now seeking a hat-trick of competitive away wins ‘to nil’. As they’ve kept three clean sheets across their last four La Liga road games, goals could well be at a premium again here, particularly as both league H2Hs last term finished 0-0!
Villarreal defender Juan Foyth popped up with an 88th-minute winner against Valencia but could be more preoccupied here with preventing Vinicius from scoring his first goal against Villarreal. Despite that lack of personal success, the Brazilian has never lost against them. Villarreal netted after the 85th minute in two of their last three home La Liga games, with Madrid doing likewise in two of their last three La Liga road fixtures.