Real Madrid vs Villarreal predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as Los Blancos aim to build on a fine week so far.
| Date | Saturday 8th April 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (CET) |
| Stadium | Santiago Bernabeu |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Real Madrid vs Villarreal Preview
Real Madrid and Villarreal clash in one of the standout games this weekend in LaLiga. It’s 2nd against 6th and a chance for Los Blancos to continue the momentum that is really building as they head into the business end of the season.
It has been a fantastic week for fans of Real Madrid as their side demolished Real Valladolid 6-0 before hammering Barcelona 4-0 at Camp Nou in the 2nd Leg of their Copa del Rey Semi-Final 2nd Leg. Karim Benzema scored hat-tricks in both games and they will be feeling a whole lot more positive about life despite the surely insurmountable 12 point margin that separates them from the top of LaLiga.
The cups will clearly be the focus now and they’ll be firm favourites to win their Quarter Final against an out of sorts Chelsea. The 1st Leg of that tie is on Wednesday so Carlo Ancelotti may well rest some players here, with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos perhaps most likely to drop out after they started the victory in Barcelona.
That may offer Villarreal a window of opportunity. It feels like they are on the right track again, despite two really poor periods in Quique Setien’s reign already. 13 points from their last 5 league games is a good return by anyone’s standards though and their last two results – a 3-0 win at Osasuna and 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad, have been particularly impressive.
The most recent was vital as La Real are the team they are chasing down in the battle for Champions League qualification. 4 points currently separate the Donostia side from Setien’s men heading into this weekend but Villarreal certainly have more momentum and they’ve actually coped quite well with Gerard Moreno’s latest injury absence, something that has rarely been true in the past.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Real Madrid
| INJURED | Mendy |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Courtois – Nacho, Rudiger, Alaba, Vazquez – Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos – Vini, Benzema, Asensio (4-3-3)
Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
Villarreal
| INJURED | Coquelin, Gerard Moreno, Capoue |
| DOUBTFUL | Albiol |
| BANNED | Jackson |
Possible XI: Reina – Pedraza, Torres, Albiol, Foyth – Terrats, Parejo, Baena – Yeremi, Morales, Chukwueze (4-3-3)
Coach: Quique Setien
Score Prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal
Much will depend on the exact side that Carlo Ancelotti decides to field here. At full pelt, Real Madrid could probably beat anyone in the world based on the quality of their last two performances, but a slightly weakened eleven could make this a tough game against an in-form Villarreal side. Evenso, the quality Real Madrid could utilise off the bench, not to mention a red hot Benzema, should be enough to seal all the points.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga match predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
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