The Matchday 28 La Liga clash between Villarreal and Real Madrid will take place on March 15 at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal vs. Real Madrid: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Villarreal
In the previous round, the Valencian side suffered a disappointing 0-1 away defeat to Alaves. Despite playing with a numerical advantage for the last 30 minutes and having two extra players after the 90th minute, they failed to capitalize on the dismissals in the Basque team. As a result, Villarreal's six-match unbeaten run in the league (4 wins and 2 draws) came to an end. Marcelino Garcia's men remain in fifth place, trailing the top four by five points, with a game in hand.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 9 of Villarreal's last 12 La Liga matches.
- The team has not conceded more than one goal in their last eight league games.
- Villarreal has kept a clean sheet in the first half of their last seven La Liga matches.
Predicted lineup for Villarreal (4-4-2)
Diego Conde – Sergi Cardona, Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala, Juan Foyth – Yeremy Pino, Daniel Parejo, Alex Baena, Pape Gueye – Ayoze Perez, Nicolas Pepe.
Real Madrid
The capital club secured a 2-1 home victory over Rayo Vallecano in the last round. Notably, Carlo Ancelotti rested several key players in this match. This was only their second win in the last six league games (2 draws and 2 losses). Real moved up to second place, overtaking city rivals Atletico and catching up with Barcelona on points. However, the Catalans have a significantly better goal difference and a game in hand.
- Exactly two or three goals have been scored in five of Real Madrid's last La Liga matches.
- The team has not scored more than two goals in their last six league encounters.
- In eight of Real's last league games, one of the teams won the second half with a clean sheet.
Predicted lineup for Real Madrid (4-3-3)
Andriy Lunin – David Alaba, Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Lucas Vazquez – Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham – Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Kylian Mbappe.
Defenders Jesus Vallejo, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, and midfielder Dani Ceballos are out due to injuries.
Referee
Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain)
Matches – 13 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 87;
Average yellow cards per match – 6.7;
Red cards shown – 6;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 31%.
Villarreal vs. Real Madrid: Match Prediction
I predict that Villarreal will be able to take points from one of the league leaders in the upcoming match. Villarreal is in good form, aiming to catch up with Athletic and displace the Basques from fourth place in the standings. The team performs well at home this season, having lost only once in their last nine home matches (4 wins and 4 draws).
Real Madrid is currently not impressive in La Liga, frequently dropping points. Additionally, this season, Madrid concedes 1.11 goals per game, the worst rate in the last six years. Notably, in the last seven meetings at the Estadio de la Cerámica, Real has not won (6 draws and 1 loss). It's also important to mention that Carlo Ancelotti's team will be coming off a tough Champions League match against Atletico.
My prediction – Villarreal win or draw
* The starting lineup for each team is based on their previous match in this tournament.
