The same old Real Madrid. Players come and go, but the bond between the Madrid club and the European Cup is something inexplicable. Carlo Ancelotti’s side emerged victorious from a bitter continental battle with city rivals Atlético Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 second leg at the Metropolitano, winning on penalties as they did in the 2016 final at San Siro.
The Blancos are therefore through to the quarter-finals, where they will face Arsenal, who, despite losing 1-0 (they won 2-1 in the first leg), came out on top from the penalty spot, also taking advantage of a sensational penalty ‘cancelled’ after VAR review against Julian Alvarez for touching the ball with both feet at the moment of the shot. Ancelotti, who spoke after the game about his players’ exhaustion due to the long and grueling tour, will now ask the team for one last effort before the two-week break for international commitments.
The title race in La Liga continues to be very tight, and every little mistake can make the difference: Real Madrid are top of the table with 57 points, the same as Barcelona, who, however, have a game in hand.
Not to mention that Atlético Madrid remains hot on their heels, just one point behind their cousins. However, there are many pitfalls in the match at the Estadio de la Ceramica against Villarreal, and not only because the Blancos will travel to the Valencian Community drained of energy. We are talking about the fifth-placed team in the league, which was unbeaten in six games before last week’s surprise defeat at Alavés in Vitoria (1-0). Marcelino, already without Gerard Moreno and Akhomach, is dealing with the doubt of Femenia, while Ancelotti is expected to make significant changes after 120 minutes at the Metropolitano.
Odds comparison
The “Goal” bet is priced at 1.40 on Goldbet, Lottomatica, and Snai. The “Over 2.5” bet is priced at 1.45 on Goldbet, Lottomatica, and Snai.
More information on bonuses
If you are a new user, in order to compare odds comprehensively, it may be useful to also analyze any bonuses offered by the operators themselves on new registrations.
- GOLDBET – Up to €3050 on sports and casino with 200% on your first sports deposit up to €1000 MORE INFO
- SNAI – €15 free + 50% on your first deposit up to €30 MORE INFO
- LOTTOMATICA – Up to €3050 for sports and casino with 200% on your first sports deposit up to €1000 MORE INFO
The prediction
Villarreal is a team that, despite conceding a lot (worst defense among the top 8 in La Liga), scores with some consistency. It is therefore likely that they will manage to score at least one goal against an enthusiastic Real Madrid side coming off a very demanding Champions League match. Both teams should score.
Probable line-ups for Villarreal-Real Madrid
VILLARREAL (4-4-2): Conde; Foyth, Kambwala, Logan Costa, Cardona; Yeremi Pino, Gueye, Parejo, Baena; Barry, Ayoze Perez.
REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Courtois; Vazquez, Raul Asencio, Rudiger, F. Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappé, Vinicius Jr.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-2