Real Madrid vs Villarreal 05/05/19

5 May 2019

Out-of-form Real Madrid welcome an improving Villarreal side to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu hoping to bounce back after two straight La Liga failures (D1, L1).

Interestingly, four of the previous five H2H meetings between these two teams have seen goals on both ends, with both sides netting over 1.5 match goals three times across those clashes.

Although the hosts are not enjoying the best of times (W1, D2, L1), they have racked up a four-game La Liga home winning streak in the build-up to this encounter, scoring 2+ match goals in each game during the run. Atypically for them, Los Blancos have failed to find the net in both of their previous LL outings although they’ve conceded just one goal in those matches. However, Zinedine Zidane’s men go after their first home win over Villarreal in Madrid since 2016 having collected just one point from their previous two H2Hs at this venue. While they’ve struggled to impress in the final third this term, the reigning Champions League holders have been outstanding in defense, allowing just 11 goals in 18 LL home games so far, which is LL’s second joint-best record.

Although the visitors’ three-game LL winning run was brought to a halt last game as Huesca held them to a 1-1 draw, Villarreal has managed to create a five-point gap on 18th-placed Real Valladolid, with three LL fixtures left to go. Javier Calleja’s men seem to have hit form at the right times, going from two straight LL away losses to back-to-back wins. Notably, all five of Villarreal’s LL road triumphs have seen them beat their rivals to nil, with three of those games ending with the same 1-0 scoreline in their favor. But, the Yellow Submarine’s fragile attacking displays away from home has seen them score 17 goals on as many LL road trips this term, which is the league’s fifth joint-worst attacking record.