Real Madrid vs Villarreal prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-10-04 19:00.
[p]Real Madridâs 36-game unbeaten run (W25, D11) came to an end on Wednesday night with a 1-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Lille, with manager Carlo Ancelotti labelling the loss as a âhuge wake-up callâ. Theyâre still protecting an active streak of 40 games without defeat in La Liga (W29, D11) following last weekendâs incident-packed 1-1 draw with AtlĂ©tico Madrid in which they conceded an injury-time equaliser.[/p]
[p]Aiming to avoid three consecutive winless matches for the first time since March 2023, the reigning league and European champions will be expecting a strong response at home, where Los Blancos remain undefeated in La Liga since losing 3-2 to Villarreal in April 2023 (W24, D4). Theyâve won all four league games here this term without being at their fluent best, so having  Kylian MbappĂ© back fully fit again could be important.[/p]
[p]Villarreal have made a fine start to their league campaign (W5, D2, L1) and following matchday eight, only Barcelona and Madrid were ahead of them in the standings following back-to-back wins over Espanyol (2-1) and Las Palmas (3-1). Having scored as many goals as their hosts in the league this term (17) and losing only two of the last seven H2Hs (W2, D3), they should feel cautiously optimistic about extending their fine start here.[/p]
[p]That hints at a competitive encounter and one in which both defences could be busy as the last two meetings here both produced five goals, with a win each for the pair. Goals have been a common theme for the Yellow Submarine on the road this term as theyâve conceded exactly once in all four league road fixtures but so far remain unbeaten due to their free-scoring attack (W3, D1).[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Five of MbappĂ©âs last six Madrid goals came here, with three of those five arriving after the 65th minute, while Villarrealâs Ălex Baena has registered 19 assists in La Liga since the start of last term, adding to that tally by scoring and assisting off the bench against Las Palmas on Monday.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: All eight of Villarrealâs La Liga games this term have seen both sides score (W5, D2, L1).[/p]
[p][i]Written by John Pennington[/i][/p]