Granada vs Villarreal Preview

Villarreal will return to La Liga action on Monday as they take on Granada at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes.

Both teams are among the most underwhelming teams in La Liga this season, with three points separating them at the lower rung of the table after an uninspiring start to the season. The hosts are off to their second-worst ten-game start to a La Liga campaign of the last decade (W1, D3, L6), and the visitors their equal-worst (W2, D3, L5).

Granada come into this tie in worse shape as they sit in the relegation zone after seven La Liga games without a win (D3, L4), though draws at home to top-half clubs Betis (1-1) and Barcelona (2-2) should offer them some hope.

Although Manager Paco López’s desire for entertaining, intense football saw his side record more goals in the first ten La Liga rounds (15) than any other club outside the top six, in return, conceded far more goals (25) than anyone else but Almería.

Ahead of this game, Granada’s biggest problems lie in their defending, with the hosts one of few clubs without a clean sheet. They will hope they can keep one here against a team that have scored 12 times this season.

The visitors, like tie hosts, are in a poor run of form, with their last six La Liga outings featuring three draws and three 2-1 results (W1, D3, L2). Their last outing was a 1-1 draw with lowly Alaves–a second consecutive La Liga match where they failed to defeat a newly promoted club, following a 2-1 loss at home to a Las Palmas side who had lost their first four away games of the La Liga season prior to that.

This confirms that their next opposition certainly cannot be taken for granted, and so they will have to be better here. But their La Liga win rate as pre-match away favourites since the start of 2022/23 stands at just 29% (W4, D4, L6) and suggests that it will be a tough game at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes.

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Spanish Primera Liga:

Spanish Primera Liga Table