Villarreal will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they host Real Valladolid on Sunday afternoon.
The Yellow Submarine are currently fifth in the La Liga table, six points behind fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao, while Real Valladolid are bottom of the division, picking up only 15 points from their opening 21 matches of the campaign.
Match preview
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Villarreal have a record of nine wins, seven draws and five defeats from their 21 league matches this season, with a total of 34 points leaving them in fifth spot in the tale, six points behind fourth-placed Athletic.
The Yellow Submarine have been an excellent watch in La Liga this term, scoring 39 times, which is the third-best attacking record behind Barcelona (59) and Real Madrid (50), but they have conceded 32, which is among the poorest defensive records this term.
Marcelino's side drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid last weekend, which will certainly go down as a positive result, while they were 4-0 winners over Mallorca in their last match in front of their own supporters on January 20.
Villarreal have picked up 16 points from their 10 home league matches this season, and there will be welcoming a Real Valladolid outfit that have only gathered three points from their 10 La Liga fixtures on their travels in 2024-25.
The Yellow Submarine beat Real Valladolid 2-1 in the reverse match earlier this season, but they actually suffered a 2-1 defeat when the two teams last locked horns at Estadio de la Ceramica in April 2023.
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Real Valladolid are bottom of the La Liga table, picking up only 15 points from their 21 matches this season courtesy of a record of four wins, three draws and 14 defeats, while they have the worst defensive record with 42 goals conceded.
There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a poor campaign to date, but they are only six points from the safety of 17th spot, so a couple of strong results in quick succession would change the picture entirely.
Diego Cocca's side will enter the match off the back of a 3-0 home defeat to Real Madrid, while they were also beaten 2-1 by fellow relegation candidates Espanyol in their last game on their travels on January 17.
Real Valladolid have posted just one win this year, which came against Real Betis on January 11, while their only away success in Spain's top flight this season came against Alaves in the middle of October.
The third-best attack in the division will be taking on the worst defence this weekend, so it could be a tough afternoon for a Real Valladolid outfit that are facing the prospect of dropping back down into the Segunda Division.
Team News
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Villarreal will again be without the services of Alfonso Pedraza and Ilias Akhomach due to injury, while Dani Parejo is a doubt with the issue that forced him to miss out against Atletico.
Head coach Marcelino is being careful with the fitness of leading goalscorer Ayoze Perez, but the Spain international is expected to earn a recall into the XI for the clash with Real Valladolid.
Gerard Moreno's goal against Atletico could see the experienced attacker also keep his spot, while Willy Kambwala's display at Wanda Metropolitano may earn him another start in the middle of the defence.
As for Real Valladolid, Raul Moro will miss the match due to a fractured collarbone, but Stanko Juric is available again after missing out against Real Madrid last weekend due to a suspension.
Mario Martin will now serve a suspension due to his red card against Real Madrid, so it is set to be a straight swap in the middle of midfield, with Juric coming back into the side.
Kike Perez and Juanmi Latasa are among the options for change this weekend, but head coach Cocca is expected to keep faith with the majority of the side that started against Real Madrid, with Marcos Andre likely to continue as the centre-forward.
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Luiz Junior; Femenia, Kambwala, Costa, S Cardona; Pino, Comesana, Gueye, Baena; G Moreno, Perez
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Hein; Perez, J Sanchez, D Torres, Rosa; Tuhami, Juric, Amallah; I Sanchez, Andre, Sylla
We say: Villarreal 2-0 Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid have struggled on their travels this season, and we are finding it incredibly difficult to back anything other than a comfortable success for a Villarreal outfit that need all three points to close the gap on fourth-placed Athletic.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
