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Villarreal vs Real Madrid Preview & Tips - Real Madrid tipped to keep the pressure on Barcelona at the top of La Liga

By Ben Darvill

13 Mar 2025

Ben Darvill 13 Mar 2025

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Villarreal vs Real Madrid La Liga Preview & Tips
Real Madrid beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in their last league game
Preview, stats & head to head

Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid (Getty Images)

Villarreal vs Real Madrid Preview & Tips

Villarreal slipped to a 1-0 loss at the hands of Alaves in their last league game as their hopes of securing a top-four spot took a major blow.

Villarreal vs Real Madrid Preview & Tips
Head To Head
Villarreal Form
Real Madrid Form

Real Madrid are level on points with leaders Barcelona following their 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in their last match.

Kylian Mbappe scored in his last league game against Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid have won two of their last three in the league
Villarreal were beaten by strugglers Alaves in their last game

Head To Head

Real have won four of their last 10 against Villarreal, with the latter winning twice and four games ending as draws.

Villarreal Form

Villarreal are still in with a big chance of snaring a top-four place in the league this season, with the prize of the Champions League within reach.

However, a shock 1-0 loss to struggling Alaves means they have slipped five-points behind Athletic Bilbao in fourth, although they do have a game in hand over their rivals. Victory in this one would be the perfect way to bounce back from that defeat, but they will struggle to beat a Real Madrid side that will be on cloud nine after knocking Atletico Madrid out of the Champions League in midweek.

While the home side will likely have their moments, I predict that they will slip to a second consecutive defeat in the league as they fall further behind the top-four.

Real Madrid Form

Real Madrid rode their luck in their clash with Atletico Madrid in midweek, but they did what Real Madrid always do as they took another step forward in the Champions League.

The reigning European champions were not at their best in midweek, with Vinicius Junior particularly poor on the night. He will be looking to bounce back in the league this weekend, and I predict that this will see Kylian Mbappe brought into the game. Mbappe has scored 18 league goals for Real so far, and if Vinicius Junior is on song, the two will likely give Villarreal's defence a torrid time.

While the two sides have been closely matched in recent years, I am backing the reigning champions to dig deep and find a way to take all three points from the match. With Barcelona and Atletico Madrid playing this weekend, this could be a chance for Real to move clear at the top if the pair draw their meeting.