Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid 21/10/18

21 October 2018

Traditionally a tough derby between two defensive-minded sides is going to take place at the Estadio de la Ceramica this weekend, with Villarreal looking to take on Atletico Madrid.

With a record of two wins, two draws, and four defeats, the Yellow Submarine currently occupy the 16th place with just a point lead over the teams from the relegation zone. However, along with Huesca, Rayo Vallecano, and Real Sociedad, Villarreal are the only La Liga side who failed to clinch a victory in front of the home crowd. Apart from a scoreless draw with Valencia, Javier Calleja’s team lost the other three home matches, having managed to score just one goal in the process. Additionally, the only time they’ve scored more than one goal in a single match this season was in a stunning 3-0 triumph over Athletic Bilbao on the road.

Los Colchoneros, on the other hand, notably raised their game after a slow start that saw them grabbing just one victory in the opening four league fixtures. In addition to two major Champions League wins, over Monaco and Club Brugge, Los Rojiblancos have swept Huesca and Getafe aside, without conceding a goal before being held to a scoreless draw to Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Moreover, Diego Simeone’s side defeated Betis by a narrow 1-goal margin on the eve of the international break, as they currently trail Sevilla by a point.

Bruno Soriano, Javi Fuego, and Santiago Caseres are sidelined by injuries in the home team, while Stefan Savic, Jose Gimenez, and Diego Costa won’t be playing for the visitors due to various physical problems.