Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal Preview

Atletico Madrid host Villarreal at Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Sunday, 23rd August 2026, in a meeting between two sides with contrasting fortunes so far this season.

Atletico’s form has been mixed throughout their preparations. Their most recent outing was a 2-1 away win over Marseille. Prior to that, they were beaten 3-1 away at Manchester City. Before that, they lost 2-1 away at Manchester Utd. Earlier in this run, Atletico beat Getafe 4-1 at home, and their sequence began with a 5-1 home defeat to Villarreal. Across these five matches, Atletico have won two and lost three, with a win over Marseille their most recent result heading into this rematch.

Villarreal have shown more consistency of late. Their most recent outing was a 2-2 draw away at Racing Santander in their league opener. Prior to that, they won 2-1 away at Galatasaray. Before that, they beat Levante 1-0 at home. Earlier in this run, Villarreal were beaten 3-1 away at Lens, and their sequence began with a penalty shootout win over Como, the match finishing 1-1 before Villarreal prevailed from the spot. Overall, Villarreal have won three, drawn one and lost one across their last five, remaining unbeaten in four of those matches.

The head-to-head record favours Atletico Madrid, who have won two of the last five meetings, with two draws and one win for Villarreal. Most recently, Villarreal won 5-1 at home. In the previous encounter, Atletico won 2-0 at home. Atletico will be eager to avenge that heavy defeat from their last visit to Villarreal, with home advantage now on their side.

Villarreal currently sit fourth in the table with one point from their opening draw, while Atletico have yet to play their first league match of the campaign. That means Villarreal arrive with a slight head start in terms of match sharpness, even though Atletico’s overall pre-season form has shown signs of promise, particularly in their win over Marseille. Atletico’s defensive form has been a concern this summer, conceding heavily against both Manchester City and Villarreal themselves, while Villarreal’s away form has been solid, with wins at Galatasaray and draws that have kept them unbeaten on the road.

Atletico’s attacking pairing of Kang-In Lee and Lookman offers real pace and creativity up top, while Villarreal will look to Ayoze and Mikautadze to continue their productive recent form in front of goal. Both sides have shown they can be vulnerable defensively, suggesting an open, high-scoring encounter is a real possibility at the Metropolitano.

In Spain, the match is available to stream via DAZN Spain, DAZN LaLiga, Movistar+ and LaLiga TV Bar HD. In Great Britain and Ireland, viewers can catch the game on Premier Sports 1 and Premier Sports Player. In the United States, the match is available on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.

Possible Lineups

Atletico Madrid (5-3-2) Oblak, Giuliano, Dominguez, Le Normand, Hancko, Grimaldo, Barrios, Koke, Cardoso, Kang-In Lee, Lookman

Villarreal (4-4-2) Luiz Júnior, Mouriño, Foyth, Renato Veiga, Romero, Pépé, Comesaña, Gueye, Moleiro, Ayoze, Mikautadze

Atletico Madrid Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Marseille	1-2	Atl. Madrid	CF	14.08.26
❌	Manchester City	3-1	Atl. Madrid	CF	09.08.26
❌	Manchester Utd	2-1	Atl. Madrid	CF	01.08.26
✅	Atl. Madrid	4-1	Getafe	CF	29.07.26
❌	Villarreal	5-1	Atl. Madrid	LL	24.05.26

Villarreal Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	Racing Santander	2-2	Villarreal	LL	16.08.26
✅	Galatasaray	1-2	Villarreal	CF	08.08.26
✅	Villarreal	1-0	Levante	CF	05.08.26
❌	Lens	3-1	Villarreal	COM	01.08.26
✅	Villarreal	1(3)-1(1)	Como	COM Pen	29.07.26

Head-to-Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Villarreal	5-1	Atl. Madrid	LL	24.05.26
Atl. Madrid	2-0	Villarreal	LL	13.09.25
Atl. Madrid	1-1	Villarreal	LL	25.01.25
Villarreal	2-2	Atl. Madrid	LL	19.08.24
Villarreal	1-2	Atl. Madrid	LL	01.04.24

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Spain	DAZN Spain, DAZN LaLiga, Movistar+, LaLiga TV Bar HD
Great Britain	Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player
Ireland Republic	Premier Sports 1, Premier Sports Player
USA	ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App
Germany	DAZN Germany
Italy	DAZN Italia
France	DAZN France, Disney+ Premium
Portugal	DAZN Portugal
Canada	TSN+
Japan	DAZN Japan, U-NEXT

POS.	TEAM	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P	FORM
1	Deportivo Alavés	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3	W
2	Espanyol	1	1	0	0	3	0	3	3	W
3	Sevilla	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3	W
4	Villarreal	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	D
5	Racing Santander	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	1	D
6	Real Sociedad	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Elche	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Celta de Vigo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Málaga	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Real Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Atlético Madrid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Deportivo La Coruña	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	Valencia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	Athletic Club	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	Real Betis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	Osasuna	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	Rayo Vallecano	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0	L
19	Getafe	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0	L
20	Levante	1	0	0	1	0	3	-3	0	L