The Matchday 21 clash in La Liga between Atletico Madrid and Villarreal will take place on January 25 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez (Spain)
Matches – 11 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 60;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.5;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 27;
Penalties – 55%.
Predicted lineups for Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Jan Oblak – Clement Lenglet, Robin Le Normand, Javi Galan, Nahuel Molina – Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo De Paul, Giuliano Simeone, Conor Gallagher – Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
Villarreal (4-4-2): Luis Junior – Sergi Cardona, Kiko Femenia, Juan Foyth, Logan Costa – Yeremi Pino, Daniel Parejo, Alex Baena, Pape Gueye – Thierno Barry, Gerard Moreno.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone's side suffered an unexpected defeat to Leganes in the last round. This was only the club's second loss in the current La Liga season, both on the road with a 0-1 scoreline. Their eight-match winning streak in the league also came to an end. As a result, the club relinquished the lead to Real Madrid, now trailing by two points. The team remains the best defensively, having conceded only 13 goals.
Defenders Clement Lenglet and Javi Galan will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation, and forward Alexander Sorloth is out with an injury.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final scoreline of 12 of Atletico's last 15 league matches.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 8 of Atletico's last 10 La Liga games.
- The club has won the second half in 8 of their last 9 league matches.
Villarreal
The Valencian side recorded their biggest victory of the current La Liga campaign in the last round. The team hosted Mallorca and thrashed them 4-0, scoring all goals within eight minutes in the first half-hour of the match. The club remains in fifth place in the standings, just six points away from the Champions League zone.
Midfielder Ilias Akhomach and forward Alfonso Pedraza will miss the match due to injuries.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of Villarreal's last 10 league matches.
- Both teams have scored in 17 of Villarreal's last 22 league games.
- The number "2" has appeared in the final scoreline of 7 of Villarreal's last 8 league matches.
Atletico Madrid vs. Villarreal: Match Prediction
The capital club suffered a sensational defeat to Leganes in the last round. There is a chance they might drop points in the upcoming match as well. Encounters with this opponent are challenging, with Atletico only winning twice in the last seven league meetings (4 draws and 1 loss). However, I won't risk betting on the outcome and will instead suggest a bet on productivity. In 6 of the last 7 head-to-head encounters in La Liga, both teams have scored, with Villarreal finding the net seven times in this span.
It's also worth noting that Villarreal has scored in 16 of their last 19 away league matches. However, they have also conceded in 11 consecutive away games in the league. The hosts are expected to score as well, having found the net in each of their last eight home league matches. It's also important to remember that Atletico will be coming off a demanding Champions League match, which took a lot of energy – on Tuesday, they defeated Bayer 2-1 at home.
My prediction – Both teams to score – yes
