Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Prediction and Match Preview

Villarreal go head-to-head against Atletico Madrid on Monday. Read our Predictions and Betting Tips with Match Preview, Head-to-head stats (h2h) and Team Form Analysis.

Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Match Preview

Sparkles will be flying when Villarreal and Atletico Madrid go head to head in a highly-anticipated season opener. The Yellow Submarine failed to win the last four warm-up games and given their poor defensive performance in a 4-0 loss to Brighton, home win should not be considered. It has to be noted that the likes of Willy Kambwala, Diego Conde, Nicolas Pepe, Pape Gueye, and Sergi Cardona have joined the club in the summer transfer window.

Alexander Sorloth will be playing for Villarreal’s Monday’s rivals in the upcoming season. Los Rojiblancos did well to sign towering centre-back Robin Le Normand earlier this summer and seeing that Villarreal suit them, there is a big value in betting on Diego Simeone’s troops. Yet another summer recruit Julian Alvarez, who won the 2024 Copa America with Argentina, is widely expected to make his official La Liga debut against the Yellow Submarine.

How the bookies view it: Atleti start as favourites

Atletico Madrid are the favourites for this match with the bookmakers, but there isn’t a massive amount in it. A Villarreal victory has been priced at 12/5 with JILIVIP while an Atletico Madrid win has been priced at 21/20. The draw, which is always a possibility when Atletico Madrid are playing away from home, has been priced at 13/5.

Recent head-to-head: Ominous signs for Villarreal

Although the bookies have the match priced fairly evenly, the recent head-to-head record between Villarreal and Atletico Madrid suggests that the visitors should be considered heavy favourites. Villarreal have only managed to win one of their last 12 matches against Atletico Madrid with Simeone unbeaten in his last six visits to the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Players to watch: Two Manchester boys to line up

Atletico Madrid have made a huge statement signing this summer in the form of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City with the Argentinian moving to the Spanish capital for a fee of around £82m. Alvarez has had a busy summer. Playing in both the Copa America and the Olympics but is still expected to make his debut for Atletico on Monday night.

Alvarez has all the hallmarks of a Simeone striker. He is tireless out of possession and capable of moments of magic on it. Hitting the ground running for any player is important. But for a striker who has signed for £82m, getting on the scoresheet feels imperative.

Trying to stop him on Monday night will be Willy Kambwala. Who also spent last season in Manchester, albeit in the red half. The centre-back was highly rated at Old Trafford but has elected to move to La Liga for the guarantee of first-team football.

Predicted line-ups

Julian Alvarez won’t be the only big-money signing making his debut for Atletico on Monday night. Alexander Sorloth, who scored 26 goals for Villarreal last season, is expected to line up alongside the Argentinian. Villarreal will be without Denis Suarez, Juan Foyth, and Alfonso Pedraza due to injury.

Villarreal: Conde – Altimira, Albiol, Kambwala, Cardona – Gueye, Baena, Comesana – Pino, Moreno, Perez

Atletico Madrid: Oblak – Molina, Le Normand, Gimenez, Galan – Koke, De Paul, Llorente – Griezmann, Sorloth, Alvarez

Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Prediction

Atletico Madrid will head into this fixture following a stunning on the road form. On top of that, they have an upper hand in the recent tradition of this match-up. Therefore, we expect a win for Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Their recent goal trend on the road inclines us to back a 2-1 win for the Atletico Madrid side as the main pick.

Atletico Madrid has recorded three high-scoring matches in the last five away outings. This includes a 1-3 win against Getafe and a 0-2 win against Juventus. On top of that, the last three h2h clashes at this stadium were high-scoring and had goals from both ends. Thus, we like to back the over 2.5 goals and both teams to score.