Football Previews
Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid
Competition – La Liga
Stadium – Estadio de la Cerámica
Date: 9th January 2022
Kick-off time – 20:00 GMT
After an embarrassing Copa del Rey outing in midweek, Villarreal will turn their attention to the league where they host Atletico Madrid this Sunday in the 20th Round of the 2021/22 La Liga season.
The hosts were sent packing from the Copa del Rey as they were beaten 2-1 by Sporting Gijon on Thursday.
In the league, the Yellow Submarines are in fiery form as they have won their last four league games. Their last La Liga outing was a 5-0 win over Levante.
Unai Emery’s side have won five of their last eight league matches and are averaging 1.63 goals per game this season.
Overall, they remain in contention for a place in Europe next season as they currently sit in eighth, four points off Atletico Madrid who are currently occupying fourth position. A win in this game will give them an enormous boost and increase their chances of a top-four finish.
Meanwhile, after a disappointing end to 2021, Atletico Madrid have begun the new year with back-to-back wins against Rayo Majadahonda and Rayo Vallecano.
Their last outing was against the former who they beat 5-0 on Thursday in the Copa del Rey to progress to the next round. Also, their win against Vallecano ended a run of four league losses and gave Rojiblancos a first clean sheet in eight games.
They will now look to build on those wins as they attempt to cut the gap between them and Real Madrid, who are 14 points ahead.
Also, with just four points separating them and Valencia in ninth, Diego Simeone’s side will be looking to avoid another drop of points that could harm their chances of a top-four finish.
Other fixtures taking place this week in the Spanish Primera:
| December 22, 2024 | ||
| Valencia | 14:00 | Alaves |
| Real Madrid | 16:15 | Sevilla |
| Leganes | 18:30 | Villarreal |
| Las Palmas | 18:30 | Espanyol |
| Real Betis | 21:00 | Rayo Vallecano |
| January 3, 2025 | ||
| Valencia | 21:00 | Real Madrid |
| January 10, 2025 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano | 21:00 | Celta Vigo |
| January 11, 2025 | ||
| Alaves | 14:00 | Girona |
| Real Valladolid | 16:15 | Real Betis |
| Espanyol | 18:30 | Leganes |
| Sevilla | 21:00 | Valencia |
| January 12, 2025 | ||
| Las Palmas | 14:00 | Getafe |
| Atlético de Madrid | 16:15 | Osasuna |
| January 13, 2025 | ||
| Real Sociedad | 21:00 | Villarreal |
| January 17, 2025 | ||
| Espanyol | 21:00 | Real Valladolid |
| January 18, 2025 | ||
| Osasuna | 14:00 | Rayo Vallecano |
| Leganes | 16:15 | Atlético de Madrid |
| Celta Vigo | 18:30 | Athletic Bilbao |
| Getafe | 21:00 | Barcelona |
Spanish Primera Table
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | G | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético de Madrid | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 33 | 12 | +21 | 41 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 19 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 51 | 22 | +29 | 38 |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 17 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 37 | 16 | +21 | 37 |
| 4 | Athletic Bilbao | 19 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 17 | +12 | 36 |
| 5 | Mallorca | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 30 |
| 6 | Villarreal | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 27 |
| 7 | Real Sociedad | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 25 |
| 8 | Girona | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 25 |
| 9 | Osasuna | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 23 | 27 | -4 | 25 |
| 10 | Celta Vigo | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 27 | 28 | -1 | 24 |
| 11 | Real Betis | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 21 | -1 | 24 |
| 12 | Sevilla | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 23 | -5 | 22 |
| 13 | Rayo Vallecano | 17 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 21 |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 27 | -5 | 19 |
| 15 | Leganes | 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 23 | -8 | 18 |
| 16 | Getafe | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | -4 | 16 |
| 17 | Alaves | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 28 | -9 | 16 |
| 18 | Espanyol | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 29 | -13 | 15 |
| 19 | Real Valladolid | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 37 | -25 | 12 |
| 20 | Valencia | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 24 | -10 | 11 |
Spanish Primera Results
| December 21, 2024 | ||
| Barcelona | 1 - 2 | Atlético de Madrid |
| Osasuna | 1 - 2 | Athletic Bilbao |
| Celta Vigo | 2 - 0 | Real Sociedad |
| Getafe | 0 - 1 | Mallorca |
| December 20, 2024 | ||
| Girona | 3 - 0 | Real Valladolid |
| December 18, 2024 | ||
| Espanyol | 1 - 1 | Valencia |
| Villarreal | 1 - 1 | Rayo Vallecano |
| December 15, 2024 | ||
| Barcelona | 0 - 1 | Leganes |
| Villarreal | 1 - 2 | Real Betis |
| Real Sociedad | 0 - 0 | Las Palmas |
| Alaves | 1 - 1 | Athletic Bilbao |
| Atlético de Madrid | 1 - 0 | Getafe |
| December 14, 2024 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano | 3 - 3 | Real Madrid |
| Sevilla | 1 - 0 | Celta Vigo |
| Mallorca | 2 - 1 | Girona |
| Espanyol | 0 - 0 | Osasuna |
| December 13, 2024 | ||
| Real Valladolid | 1 - 0 | Valencia |
| December 9, 2024 | ||
| Getafe | 1 - 0 | Espanyol |
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