When Cristiano Ronaldo left, everybody thought Real Madrid was doomed. Yes, they would love to still have Ronaldo, but the team has shown no player is bigger than the club. Los Blancos have had a great start of the season and they deserve to be huge favorites against Villarreal.
That doesn’t mean the Yellow Submarine won’t put up a fight. They also remain unbeaten and own the second-best defensive unit in the league. This is not a game to miss.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and soccer lines for Real Madrid vs Villarreal. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider!
Game: Real Madrid vs Villarreal
Location: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Time: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET
Television: beIN Sports
Live Stream: fuboTV
La Liga Betting Lines
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
| Real Madrid | -1 -125 | -200 | 3 -105 | 1½ -190o/+155u |
| Villarreal | +1 +105 | +525 | 3 -115u | ½ -175o/+145u |
| Draw | +385 |
Head to Head
- Previous Matches: 44
- Real Madrid Victories: 26 (91 goals)
- Villarreal Victories: 4 (43 goals)
- Draws: 14
The last time they met, Real Madrid won 2-1. They did it thanks to Karim Benzema and Luka Modric, who scored after Yeremi Pino scored first for Villarreal. Prior to that game, they drew 1-1 at Villarreal’s home. Mariano Diaz scored for Madrid while Gerard Moreno did it for the Yellow Submarine.
Real Madrid owns a 4-5-1 record against Villarreal in their last 10 games. During that span, they scored 18 goals and allowed 15. They failed to score only once. The total went over in seven of those 10 games.
The Yellow Submarine defeated Real Madrid for the last time in the 2017-18 season. They did it 1-0 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Why Bet on Real Madrid?
Real Madrid is on fire and that should be enough for you to include them in your soccer picks. They sit in first place with 16 points, two more than Atletico Madrid, thanks to a 5-1-0 record. They also have scored 21 goals, more than any other team, and allowed eight.
Most recently, they crushed Mallorca 6-1 at home. Since returning to Santiago Bernabeu, los Blancos have averaged 5.5 goals per game at home. Marco Asensio shined against Mallorca with a hat trick, giving manager Carlo Ancelotti even more options on offense.
“I’ve shown the coach what he can expect from me. There’s a lot of competition and it’s important to be prepared for when I get the opportunity, and that’s how it has been,” said Asensio after their last game.
Madrid’s offensive unit also includes Benzema, Luka Jovic, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale. Bale has been injured but he can make the difference when healthy.
Defensively, David Alaba and Eder Militao have developed good chemistry as the team’s center backs. Their side backs have been attacked by the injury bug, but Nacho has been coming to the rescue.
Los Blancos also are 5-1 against the spread and over/under, 2-0 ATS and O/U when playing at home.
Besides Bale, Toni Kroos, Marcelo, Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos are out due to injury. Their expected lineup is Thibaut Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Miguel Gutierrez; Federico Valverde, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard.
Why Bet on Villarreal?
As we mentioned before, Villarreal remains unbeaten. The thing is that they’ve drawn in five of their first six games. They’re in 11th place with seven points thanks to a 1-5-0 record, six goals for and three against.
Most recently, they regained a lot of confidence by crushing Elche C.F. 4-1. The crazy thing is that they did it without Gerard Moreno, last season’s top scorer. He and Dani Raba won’t be available to face Real Madrid.
Without Moreno, Villarreal will definitely be playing on the counte-rattack. Real Madrid allowed at least one goal in five of their six games. That means Villarreal can hurt los Blancos even playing on the counter-attack, they just need to be very effective.
They also are 2-2-1 against the spread and 2-3 over/under, 1-1-1 ATS and 1-2 O/U when playing on the road. Don’t forget they won the last edition of the Europa League by beating Manchester United. No matter what scores and odds say, they’re not afraid of any team and they rarely make mistakes.
Samuel Chukwueze is also out due to injury. Sergio Asenjo; Mario Gaspar, Aissa Mandi, Pau Torres, Alfonso Pedraza; Dani Parejo, Etienne Capoue, Manu Trigueros; Yeremi Pino, Paco Alcacer, Arnaut Groeneveld.
Final Analysis, Predictions
Real Madrid is winning even without several top players. Their confidence is up to the roof, and the roof at the renewed Santiago Bernabeu is really high. They scored three or more goals in five of their six La Liga games. If they can keep that rhythm, they shouldn’t have too much trouble beating the entire league.
Villarreal will put up a fight, always do, but with Moreno out their chances to win are pretty much gone. I expect both to score and the total to go over once again.
Don’t forget to check the online sports betting props for this and other games to increase your winning chances. Our score prediction is offering a +110 price, while four exact total goals is +400, go for it!
Score Prediction: Real Madrid 3, Villarreal 1
