Fresh from their impressive win over Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey, Real Madrid return to La Liga action with home clash against Villarreal.
Real Madrid are coming off an impressive 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the Copa Italia semi-final second leg. Karim Benzema scored a second half hat-trick after Vinicius Junior had opened the scoring right on the stroke of halftime.
Los Blancos may have come out on top on Wednesday but they are still playing second fiddle to the Catalans in La Liga. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are 12 points off the pace and will be keen to crank up the pressure on the leaders.
They good news for Real Madrid is that they have been in good form lately, particularly at the Santiago Bernabeu where they are unbeaten this season. They have won five of their last six home matches and claimed a 6-0 victory over Real Valladolid in their previous La Liga fixture with Benzema netting a hat-trick once again.
Villarreal have found their form in recent weeks as they make a late push for European qualification. Currently sixth on the standings, four points behind fourth placed Real Sociedad, they are still in the mix for a Champions League finish.
Things have been particularly smooth for Villarreal lately as they travel to Madrid unbeaten in their last five La Liga matches. Quique Setien’s men have claimed four wins in that run, including a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad in their previous fixture.
Villarreal claimed a 3-0 victory over Osasuna in their previous away fixture but have been generally erratic on their travels. They have lost five of their last nine La Liga matches on the road with a 3-0 defeat to Barcelona and a 4-2 loss at Mallorca among the results in that run.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 8/15 by BetVictor. A victory for Villarreal is valued at 21/4 by Unibet, who are also offering odds of 18/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Real Madrid have a 25-5 advantage with 16 draws from 46 previous matches against Villarreal. Los Blancos came from behind to claim a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture back in February.
Players to watch
Karim Benzema’s has now scored six goals in his last two matches and will be the one to watch for Real Madrid. The French striker is priced at 17/20 by Unibet to maintain his scoring form on Saturday.
Jose Luis Morales has scored five goals in the last six matches and will be the one to watch for Villarreal on Saturday. Bet365 has the striker at 3/1 to find the net at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a five-goal thriller in the reverse fixture and another exciting contest could be on the cards on Saturday. Over 4.5 goals is valued at 3/1 with BetVictor, who are also offering odds of 8/5 on over 3.5 goals.
Real Madrid have scored in both halves in their last two matches and a similar outcome is priced at 6/5 with Paddy Power. Their 10-goal haul in both matches means a -1 handicap could also be considered at 13/10 with BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Villarreal will be played on Apr 8, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Villarreal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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