Real Madrid will visit Villarreal on Saturday for a crucial LaLiga match as the team now coached by Alvaro Arbeloa come from a positive week with two wins. first against Levante 2-0 at the Bernabeu, and then a 6-1 win against AS Monaco in Madrid. The new Spanish manager had to deal with a difficult start in front of their home fans thanks to a Barcelona defeat which resulted in the firing of his predecessor Xabi Alonso, and then a shock defeat to a second division side in the Copa del Rey, but now Real Madrid are only one point behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona who dropped points to Real Sociedad last weekend. This weeks opponents, Villarreal, sit third.
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Arbeloa spoke about his players and in particular the situation regarding Jude Bellingham, who was also whistled by the home fans last week alongside Vinicius Jr: “I have to talk about what I ‘m seeing now and it’s not much because it hasn’t been many days, but in the games he has played with me and in training he has shown from day one his abilities as a footballer, his technique, his leadership, his character. The effort he made the other day, like that of his teammates, was tremendous and speaks volumes about a player with a winning mentality and who has everything that a Real Madrid player needs. Considering his young age and experience I’m delighted with him and above all with his mentality, effort and the leadership he has with his teammates. Very happy to have him and enjoy having him.”
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the game:
How to watch Villarreal vs. Real Madrid, odds
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 24 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio de la Cerámica — Villareal
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Villarreal +220; Draw +275; Real Madrid +108
Possible lineups
Villarreal XI: Luiz Junior; Pau Navarro, Juan Foyth, Renato Veiga, Sergi Cardona; Tajon Buchanan, Pape Gueye, Daniel Parejo, Alberto Moleiro; Gerard Moreno, Georges Mikautadze.
Real Madrid XI: Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras; Arda Guler, Eduardo Camavinga; Franco Mastantuono, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Kylian Mbappe.
Prediction
Alvaro Arbeloa’s team are the favourites to win the match on Saturday but they shouldn’t underestimate how well Villarreal are performing this season especially in the Spanish LaLiga. Pick: Real Madrid 2, Villarreal 1.
