Villarreal and Atletico Madrid will round off the opening weekend of the 2024/25 La Liga season on Monday night when they meet at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
On paper, it's also arguably the biggest match of the weekend as it sees two teams who finished inside the top eight last season go head-to-head.
Despite their lofty positions last time around, both clubs will be hoping for more this time around. Atletico will be seeking a proper title challenge while Villarreal will want to push for the European places.
How the bookies view it: Atleti start as favourites
Atletico Madrid are the favourites for this match with the bookmakers, but there isn't a massive amount in it. A Villarreal victory has been priced at 12/5 with Betfred while an Atletico Madrid win has been priced at 21/20. The draw, which is always a possibility when Atletico Madrid are playing away from home, has been priced at 13/5.
Recent head-to-head: Ominous signs for Villarreal
Although the bookies have the match priced fairly evenly, the recent head-to-head record between Villarreal and Atletico Madrid suggests that the visitors should be considered heavy favourites. Villarreal have only managed to win one of their last 12 matches against Atletico Madrid with Simeone unbeaten in his last six visits to the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Players to watch: Two Manchester boys to line up
Atletico Madrid have made a huge statement signing this summer in the form of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City with the Argentinian moving to the Spanish capital for a fee of around £82m. Alvarez has had a busy summer, playing in both the Copa America and the Olympics but is still expected to make his debut for Atletico on Monday night.
Alvarez has all the hallmarks of a Simeone striker. He is tireless out of possession and capable of moments of magic on it. Hitting the ground running for any player is important, but for a striker who has signed for £82m, getting on the scoresheet feels imperative.
Trying to stop him on Monday night will be Willy Kambwala, who also spent last season in Manchester, albeit in the red half. The centre-back was highly rated at Old Trafford but has elected to move to La Liga for the guarantee of first-team football.
Predicted line-ups
Julian Alvarez won't be the only big-money signing making his debut for Atletico on Monday night. Alexander Sorloth, who scored 26 goals for Villarreal last season, is expected to line up alongside the Argentinian. Villarreal will be without Denis Suarez, Juan Foyth, and Alfonso Pedraza due to injury.
Villarreal: Conde – Altimira, Albiol, Kambwala, Cardona – Gueye, Baena, Comesana – Pino, Moreno, Perez
Atletico Madrid: Oblak – Molina, Le Normand, Gimenez, Galan – Koke, De Paul, Llorente – Griezmann, Sorloth, Alvarez
Anything else catch the eye?
A total of 11 goals have been scored across the three most recent matches between Villarreal and Atletico Madrid which suggests we could be in for a bit of a goal-fest on Monday night. Over 2.5 goals to be scored has been priced at 8/13 with Betfred.
This La Liga match between Villarreal and Atletico Madrid will be played on Aug 19, 2024 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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