Team updates, expected line-up, and match predictions between Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.

Preview: Atlético Madrid vs. Villarreal – Forecast, Team Updates, and Lineups Authored by Matt Law, Football Editor Publication Date:

January 23, 2025 | 12:13 Atletico Madrid will seek to reinvigorate their pursuit of the La Liga title as they host Villarreal at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday afternoon.

Diego Simeone’s team is presently positioned second in the La Liga standings, trailing the leaders, Real Madrid, by two points. Meanwhile, Villarreal holds the fifth position, six points adrift of fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao in the competition for Champions League qualification.

Atletico’s remarkable 15-match winning streak across all competitions was unexpectedly halted last weekend, as they experienced a surprising 1-0 loss to Leganes. However, under the guidance of Simeone, the team demonstrated resilience by achieving a commendable victory in the Champions League on Tuesday, triumphing over Bayer Leverkusen with a score of 2-1.

The Red and Whites currently occupy the fifth position in the Champions League standings and are poised to secure automatic qualification for the quarterfinal stage of the tournament. Concurrently, they are prominently positioned in the La Liga title race, holding second place, just two points adrift of Real Madrid.

The current champions will not compete until Saturday evening against Real Valladolid. Therefore, a victory in this match would elevate Atletico back to the pinnacle of the league standings. This season, they have demonstrated exceptional performance on their home ground, accumulating 26 points from their 10 La Liga fixtures at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico Madrid has conceded a mere six goals at home in La Liga this season; however, they are set to face a prolific Villarreal team that has netted 38 goals in the league, representing the second-best offensive record, surpassed only by Barcelona (52) and Real Madrid (47).

In contrast to Atletico, Villarreal is exclusively concentrating on the league for the remainder of the season. The Yellow Submarine is actively engaged in the pursuit of a top-four position in La Liga, presently occupying fifth place, six points adrift of fourth-placed Athletic.

Marcelino’s team has encountered challenges regarding consistency this season; however, they have recently secured victories in two of their last three league matches, triumphing over Leganes and Mallorca, interspersed with a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad. Villarreal has achieved a record of nine victories, six draws, and five losses in the 2024-25 season.

As previously noted, they have netted 38 goals; however, their defensive performance has been subpar, having conceded 31 goals across their 20 matches. The Yellow Submarine have actually only lost two of their last seven La Liga matches with Atletico, and the points were shared in a 2-2 draw when they locked antlers for the reverse game earlier this season.

Atletico secured a 3-1 victory at the Wanda Metropolitano in the previous season; however, Villarreal boasts a recent away league triumph against the Red and Whites, having achieved a 2-0 victory in this matchup in August 2022. Atletico Madrid La Liga form: WWWWWL Atletico Madrid form (all competitions): WWWWLW Villarreal La Liga form: LLDWLW