Overview
Real Madrid opened La Liga this season with 6 consecutive wins against Osasuna, Real Oviedo, Mallorca, Real Sociedad, Espanyol and Levante. However, they just suffered a surprising 2-5 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the derby last weekend.
This result caused Los Blancos to lose the starting position to Barcelona, although Xabi Alonso's team is still only 1 point behind their opponent and can generally be considered a positive start.
In the Champions League, Real Madrid won both group stage matches against Marseille and Kairat, earning 6 points to finish second in the group at this stage. After the October international break, they will return to La Liga with a trip to Getafe, before hosting Juventus at the Bernabeu.
Last season, Real Madrid beat Villarreal in La Liga, including a 2-0 win at the Bernabeu. However, the "Golden Submarine" surprised with a 3-2 victory at Real in the 2022-2023 season.
Villarreal just drew 2-2 with Juventus in the Champions League, thereby getting 1 point after 2 matches. In La Liga, the "Golden Submarine" are off to an impressive start with 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, earning 16 points to finish third in the rankings - 2 points behind Real Madrid and 3 points behind Barcelona.
Marcelino's team is on a 3-match winning streak against Osasuna, Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao. Their only domestic defeat this season came from a loss to Atletico Madrid right after the September break.
After finishing in fifth place last season, Villarreal now have a basis to aim for the top 4, especially in the context of Athletic Bilbao starting to decline in form.
However, the history of confrontations does not support them. Villarreal have won just six of their three meetings with Real Madrid. However, it is worth noting that in the last 8 meetings, the "Golden Submarine" have only lost 3 matches, showing that they are completely capable of causing difficulties for Los Blancos.
Personnel situation
Real Madrid entered the match against Villarreal with many losses in defense. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger are still absent, but Eder Militao has recovered from an ankle injury in time to return.
Xabi Alonso is likely to adjust his squad to a 3-defender formation, with Aurelien Tchouameni dragged down to play.
Jude Bellingham is almost certain to be in the starting lineup, while Eduardo Camavinga could be used in midfield. The Kylian Mbappe - Vinicius Junior duo are likely to form a striker pair in the 3-4-1-2 formation. Federico Valverde is also expected to start, despite rumors about his future.
On the opposite side, Villarreal lost Logos, Willy Kambwala, Juan Foyth and Pau Cabanes due to injury. The possibility of Ayoze Perez and Gerard Moreno playing is still open, while Georges Mikautadze may continue to start.
Marcelino is likely to rotate compared to the draw with Juventus. Goalkeeper Luiz Junior returns to the starting lineup, while Sergi Cardona, Thomas Partey, Alberto Moleiro and Ilias Akhomach are also options for the Bernabeu starting lineup.
Expected lineup:
Real Madrid: Courtois, Militao, Huijsen, Tchouameni, Valverde, Guler, Camavinga, Carreras, Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe.
Villarreal: Junior, Mourino, Veiga, Marin, S. Cardona, Akhomach, Partey, Gueye, Moleiro, Mikautadze, Pepe.
The match between Real Madrid and Villarreal takes place at 2:00 am on October 5 (Vietnam time).
