Two Champions League hopefuls clash at the Estadi Ceramica on Sunday. Athletic Club are in a really strong position to qualify, but Villarreal also look well placed to make it, given fifth place is likely to be enough this season.
With a six-point advantage on their rivals, Athletic would most likely be content enough to leave with a draw. They have drawn four of their last eight matches in La Liga in what has been a slight downturn in their overall form, but injuries for the likes of Oihan Sancet and Dani Vivian have contributed to that.
Villarreal’s return of 14 points from their last eight games is one more than that of their opponents. However, they’ve also struggled for consistency, with defeats against Alaves and Real Madrid, coming prior to a 2-1 victory away to Getafe last time out.
How the bookies view it: Yellow Submarine seen as the more likely winners
The bookies view the hosts as the favourites here, with Villarreal available at 5/4 to win this match. They’re yet to defeat a fellow top-six side this season though, so punters may see more value in the draw at 12/5, or even an away win at 23/10.
Recent head-to-head: Lions roar when these clubs meet
Athletic Club have enjoyed much the better of the recent meetings between these sides. They won 3-2 on this ground last term, while they also defeated Villarreal 2-0 in Bilbao back in December. It’s just one victory in 12 meetings for the Yellow Submarine, although that did come by a convincing 5-1 margin back in May 2023.
Players to watch: Nico’s time to shine
This match features two of Spain’s brightest young prospects in the shape of Nico Williams and Alex Baena. The Villarreal man has more goal contributions this season in La Liga with 13, compared to the nine of Williams.
However, the Athletic winger has really started to come into form. He’s had at least two shots on target in five of his last six matches for club and country, and you can back the younger of the Williams brothers to have over 1.5 shots on target at huge odds of 5/1 here with Paddy Power.
Predicted Lineups
With Nicolas Pepe picking up an injury, it looks certain to be Ayoze Perez and Thierno Barry up front again for Villarreal. Pape Gueye is available again, and will compete with Dani Parejo and Santi Comesana for a midfield start.
The visitors are in good shape on the selection front, with midfielder Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta the only injury concern for Ernesto Valverde.
Villarreal: Junior, Cardona, Costa, Kambwala, Foyth, Baena, Parejo, Comesana, Buchanan, Ayoze, Barry.
Athletic Club: Simon, Yuri, Vivian, Yeray, De Marcos, Prados, Jauregizar, N. Williams, U. Gomez, I. Williams, Sannadi.
Anything else catch the eye?
Most things point to a competitive game here, between two teams that are separated by only one place in the league table.
There are some slight differences in terms of when these sides are tending to score their goals though. Villarreal have started quickly at home this term, with 16 goals before the break, while Athletic have only managed to net six times before the interval on their travels in La Liga. The Yellow Submarine are on offer at 4/5 to score first in this game with Boylesports.
This La Liga match between Villarreal and Athletic Club will be played on and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Villarreal vs Athletic Club prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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