Villarreal vs Real Madrid Preview

Villarreal will be looking to arrest a damaging slump when they host Real Madrid at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Saturday night. The Yellow Submarine’s most recent outing ended in a disappointing 1-2 home defeat to Ajax Amsterdam in the Champions League. Prior to that, they suffered a 2-0 loss away at Real Betis in La Liga. Earlier in this sequence, they secured back-to-back victories with a 3-1 home win over Alavés and a 3-1 away triumph at Elche, though these positive results came after a 2-0 home defeat to Barcelona. With three losses and two wins from their last five matches, Villarreal have been inconsistent and will face an enormous challenge against the league’s most formidable visitors.

Real Madrid arrive at the Cerámica in impressive form, having won their most recent match 6-1 at home against AS Monaco in the Champions League. Before that commanding victory, they claimed a 2-0 home win over Levante in La Liga. Earlier in this run, they suffered consecutive defeats, losing 3-2 away at Albacete in the Copa del Rey and 3-2 to Barcelona in the Supercopa. Prior to those setbacks, they secured a 2-1 away victory at Atlético Madrid in the Supercopa. With three wins and two losses from their last five fixtures, Los Blancos have shown resilience in bouncing back from adversity and will be confident of extending their current winning streak.

The head-to-head record is firmly dominated by Real Madrid, who have won four of the last five encounters with just one draw and no Villarreal victories. Most recently, Real Madrid claimed a 3-1 home win in October 2025, while they also secured a 2-1 away victory at the Cerámica in March 2025. The only match Villarreal avoided defeat came in a thrilling 4-4 draw in May 2024, though Real Madrid have otherwise consistently prevailed in this fixture including a 4-1 home triumph in December 2023.

Villarreal’s injury crisis is severe, with Logan Costa, Pau Cabanes, Willy Kambwala, Santi Comesaña, and Santiago Mouriño all ruled out. Real Madrid will be without Éder Militão and Aurélien Tchouaméni, while Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy, and Antonio Rüdiger all remain doubtful. Villarreal face the heavier injury burden with five confirmed absences depleting their defensive and midfield resources, while Real Madrid’s three doubtful players could still feature despite two confirmed absentees.

Fans worldwide can tune in to this Saturday evening clash, with coverage available on Movistar+ and LaLiga TV in Spain, DAZN in Germany, Austria, Italy and Portugal, beIN Sports across the Middle East and North Africa, and ESPN Deportes in the United States. The 20:00 GMT kick-off ensures prime-time viewing as Real Madrid look to maintain their recent momentum while Villarreal seek a rare positive result in this fixture.

Possible Line-Ups:

Villarreal (4-4-2) Pedraza, Júnior, Moleiro, Foyth, Gueye, Veiga, Navarro, Mikautadze, Parejo, Moreno, Buchanan

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1) Valverde, Courtois, Rodrygo, Güler, Huijsen, Mbappé, Bellingham, Camavinga, Asencio, Júnior, Carreras

Injured Players:

Villarreal: Logan Costa (Out), Pau Cabanes (Out), Willy Kambwala (Out), Santi Comesaña (Out), Santiago Mouriño (Out)

Real Madrid: Éder Militão (Out), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Out), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Doubtful), Ferland Mendy (Doubtful), Antonio Rüdiger (Doubtful)

Villarreal face a severe injury crisis with five players ruled out, significantly weakening their defensive and midfield options. Real Madrid will be without two key players while three others remain doubtful, though they’re in marginally better shape than their hosts despite still carrying significant absences.

Villarreal – Last Five Matches:

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Villarreal	1-2	Ajax Amsterdam	Champions League	Jan 20, 2026
❌	Real Betis	2-0	Villarreal	Spanish LALIGA	Jan 17, 2026
✅	Villarreal	3-1	Alavés	Spanish LALIGA	Jan 10, 2026
✅	Elche	1-3	Villarreal	Spanish LALIGA	Jan 3, 2026
❌	Villarreal	0-2	Barcelona	Spanish LALIGA	Dec 21, 2025

Real Madrid – Last Five Matches:

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Real Madrid	6-1	AS Monaco	Champions League	Jan 20, 2026
✅	Real Madrid	2-0	Levante	Spanish LALIGA	Jan 17, 2026
❌	Albacete	3-2	Real Madrid	Spanish Copa del Rey	Jan 14, 2026
❌	Barcelona	3-2	Real Madrid	Spanish Supercopa	Jan 11, 2026
✅	Atlético Madrid	1-2	Real Madrid	Spanish Supercopa	Jan 8, 2026

Head-to-Head Record:

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
Real Madrid	3-1	Villarreal	Spanish LALIGA	Oct 4, 2025
Villarreal	1-2	Real Madrid	Spanish LALIGA	Mar 15, 2025
Real Madrid	2-0	Villarreal	Spanish LALIGA	Oct 5, 2024
Villarreal	4-4	Real Madrid	Spanish LALIGA	May 19, 2024
Real Madrid	4-1	Villarreal	Spanish LALIGA	Dec 17, 2023

TV Listings / Streaming:

Country	Broadcaster
Spain	Movistar+
Germany	DAZN Germany
USA	ESPN Deportes
United Kingdom	Disney+ Premium
France	beIN Sports 2
Italy	DAZN Italia
Portugal	DAZN Portugal
Canada	TSN+