Real Madrid are aiming to maintain the pressure on leaders Barcelona as they travel to Villarreal for a Spanish La Liga fixture.
Los Blancos appear to be moving on from their recent troubles and are showing some good form at the moment, while the hosts come into this clash looking out of sorts.
Villarreal come into this clash off the back of a 2-0 defeat at Real Betis in their previous La Liga fixture. They followed up that result with a 3-1 home loss to Ajax in a midweek UEFA Champions League clash.
Both results are part of a poor run for Villarreal, who have lost five of their last seven matches across all competitions. Marcelino's men have also found things difficult at home, suffering three defeats in their last four fixtures at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
Real Madrid appear to be finding some form under Alvaro Arbeloa, having won their last two matches. They claimed a 2-0 home victory over Levante last time out in La Liga and followed it up with a 6-1 triumph over Monaco in the Champions League.
Having moved within one point of leaders Barcelona, the motivation for Real Madrid is that they can climb to the top of the table before their rivals play on Sunday. Los Blancos have done some good work on their recent travels and are unbeaten in their last five La Liga away matches.
How the bookies view it: Los Blancos with the edge
Real Madrid have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at Evens by Ladbrokes to claim the win. Villarreal are considered outsiders at 12/5 on Betfred, while a draw is set at odds of 14/5 by Paddy Power.
Head to head: Real Madrid on top
Real Madrid have a 22-6 advantage, with 16 draws in the last 44 matches against Villarreal. Los Blancos claimed a 3-1 home victory in the reverse fixture and are also unbeaten in four of the last five away meetings.
Players to watch: Mbappe still hot
Kylian Mbappe remains the most dangerous attacker for Real Madrid, having scored 19 La Liga goals so far. The forward has also found the net three times in the last two matches against Villarreal (Kylian Mbappe anytime goalscorer – priced at 8/11 by bet365).
Alberto Moleiro has stood out for Villarreal and is their leading scorer this season with eight La Liga goals. He could be worth keeping an eye on for the hosts (Alberto Moleiro anytime goalscorer – valued at 23/10 by William Hill).
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Probable line-ups:
Villarreal are without Thiago Fernandez, Pau Cabanes, and Logan Costa through injury, while Santi Comesana and Santiago Mourino are suspended. Moleiro is expected to retain his place in the team, while Georges Mikautadze could earn a start after coming off the bench in midweek.
Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended for Real Madrid, while Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Antonio Rudiger are out injured. Mbappe should feature in attack once again, while Dean Huijsen is set to continue at the back.
Villarreal: Tenas, Navarro, Marin, Veiga, Cardona, Pepe, Parejo, Partey, Moleiro, Oluwaseyi, Mikautadze.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras, Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham, Mastantuono, Vinicius, Mbappe.
Anything else catch the eye?
Three of Real Madrid’s last four matches have produced over 3.5 goals (Over 3.5 goals – available at 6/5 on Betfred). Los Blancos have scored first in their last two matches (Real Madrid to score first – offered at 3/4 by William Hill.
Real Madrid have scored in both halves in two of their last three matches (Real Madrid to score in both halves – set at odds of 6/4 by bet365).
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