Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Preview

La Liga continues on Monday with Atlético Madrid travelling to the Estadio de la Ceramica to face Villarreal.

The Yellow Submarines will look to continue where they stopped just before the international break when they face Diego Simeone’s side. The hosts were on a nine-game La Liga unbeaten run before the break (W5, D4), with their last four games ending in a win.

That unbeaten run accounts for half their points this campaign; as a result, Marcelino’s men start this round eight points behind the top six, a gap which is still bridgeable, especially as Villarreal are no longer distracted by European football having exited the Europa League.

Home form could be crucial for that late charge and the Yellow Submarine have a solid foundation on this ground. They are on a seven-game streak without defeat at the Estadio de la Cerámica (W4, D3), including three successive wins. And if recent H2Hs are anything to go by, the arrival of Atlético Madrid is unlikely to threaten that sequence as the hosts have lost just one of their last eight home meetings (W3, D4).

Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid will be desperate to return to winning ways after losing 3-0 to Barcelona in their last game before the international break. That loss was their eighth in the league this season—the highest figure among the top seven sides after 29 matches. Consequently, they are out of the top four and could see the gap widen if they don’t halt a two-game losing run in La Liga.

They must juggle preparing for the upcoming Champions League quarter-final first leg against Borussia Dortmund and getting back on track domestically. However, in the interim, manager Diego Simeone will be desperate to improve his side’s away form as they have failed to win on their last six road trips (D2, L4). All four defeats saw them fail to score, but the visitors can look at their record of six straight league victories on a Monday for inspiration.

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

Spanish Primera Liga Table