LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchday 28 is just around the corner, with Villarreal CF hosting Real Madrid in what is expected to be a highly entertaining clash at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Saturday.
The visitors are coming into this game after getting back to winning ways by grabbing a morale-boosting 2-1 home victory over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring before Vinícius doubled Real Madrid’s lead before half-time. Pedro Díaz pulled one back for Rayo Vallecano, but Los Blancos clinched all three points at the Bernabéu.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side benefitted from Atlético de Madrid dropping points away at Getafe CF and overtook their city rivals in the league table. Currently sitting joint-top of the standings alongside FC Barcelona, who have one game in hand, Real Madrid will look to build a winning run ahead of the upcoming international break.
To do so, Los Blancos will need to beat a solid Villarreal CF team sitting fifth in the table and competing for a top-four spot. On Saturday, El Submarino Amarillo were dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Champions League qualification, losing 1-0 away at Deportivo Alavés, who finished the game with nine men. As such, Marcelino’s men will be extra determined to respond in Matchday 28.
Villarreal CF’s impressive home record against Real Madrid
Curiously, Villarreal CF haven’t lost a home league game against Real Madrid since 2017, a 3-2 reverse on February 26th 2017. They have a seven-game unbeaten streak at the Estadio de la Cerámica against their upcoming rivals, in league play, with six of those games ending in a draw and with one win.
One of the duels that stands out is last season’s clash between the two teams on May 19th. The game ended in a 4-4 stalemate, with current Atlético de Madrid striker Alexander Sørloth netting all four Villarreal CF goals and Arda Güler bagging a brace for the guests. Real Madrid were up 4-1 at half-time, but Sørloth scored a second-half hat-trick to rescue a point for the hosts.
A high-scoring match-up
Last season’s duel at Villarreal CF isn’t the only high-scoring clash between the two teams from the past few years. Across their past six encounters across all competitions, there has been an average of 4.7 goals scored per game.
The last time the two teams met was back on Matchday 9, with Real Madrid securing a 2-0 victory on home soil courtesy of goals from Fede Valverde and Vinícius. While Los Blancos will aim to complete a double and escape from the Estadio de la Cerámica with all three points. Yet, Marcelino’s side have yet to lose in front of their fans in 2025, their last home defeat dating back on December 15th (2-1 to Real Betis). Meanwhile, Real Madrid haven’t won any of their last three league duels on the road, including defeats to Real Betis and RCD Espanyol.
Taking into account that Villarreal CF and Real Madrid boast the third-best and second-best attacks in the league, with 48 and 57 goals scored, respectively, LALIGA EA SPORTS fans are in for a real treat on Saturday. It remains to be seen if the hosts will manage to extend their home unbeaten run against Real Madrid to eight games or whether the visitors will celebrate their first league victory at the Estadio de la Cerámica in eight years.
SOURCE: LALIGA CONTENTHUB
