Villarreal vs Almeria prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-10-22 16:30.
Villarreal’s persistent failure to score La Liga (LL) goals away from home has kept the top four out of reach for now, but the next three rounds present two valuable opportunities to keep their points tally growing with home games against AlmerĂa and Mallorca that they simply must win for manager Unai Emery to keep the critics at bay amidst the rumours of him being sought by Aston Villa. The Yellow Submarine’s last seven LL goals have all been scored at home (W2, D1), which leaves them well placed to move on quickly from their disastrous 3-0 midweek loss at Barcelona.
They should expect to take at least one competition point from this contest, having not yet lost a LL match to any of the clubs placed seventh or lower before the completion of the tenth round (W3, D3). Perhaps we should fasten our seatbelts for this one however, as it promises to be a fascinating first half, with Villarreal completing six consecutive LL games without a goal in the first half hour and AlmerĂa storming to two 3-0 half-time leads in their last three, albeit both at home.
AlmerĂa might look fairly comfortable in mid-table but this belies the precarious position in which they remain, sitting just two points clear of the relegation zone after the midweek round – though their ten-point haul is still an improvement on the two seasons (2014/15 and 2010/11) they were previously relegated from Spain’s top division.
Much like their opponents, AlmerĂa appear to be an entirely different side when playing away from home. Their last nine LL points have all been earned at home, whilst their previous away outing – a 3-1 defeat at Betis – was the only of their four consecutive LL defeats in which they could find the net.
Players to watch: Arnaut Danjuma scored twice in Villarreal’s last LL home fixture in a performance that Unai Emery nonetheless blasted as “insufficient”. Meanwhile, El Bilal TourĂ© has developed a taste for scoring in professional football, finding the net in his last three appearances for AlmerĂa.
Hot stat: AlmerĂa have conceded the final goal of the game in all but one of their ten LL fixtures this season.