Real Madrid vs Villarreal: Match preview | OneFootball

It was not long ago when Real Madrid suffered their first defeat in 258 days at the hands of Lille in the Champions League. But now, the Merengues brace themselves for a top-of-the-table clash at the Santiago Bernabeu against Villarreal.

Dani Ceballos has made the return to the squad for this game, and only Brahim Díaz, David Alaba and Thibaut Courtois remain the most notable omissions.

Éder Militão was substituted at the hour mark against Lille – due to some discomfort in his left thigh. Although, the Brazilian has been named in the squad, his chances of starting this game are slim. Consequently, Aurelien Tchouaméni would slot into the centre-back position alongside Antonio Rüdiger.

The four-man midfield is expected to change back to three men, with Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo expected to start alongside Vinicius upfront.

A mainstay in that particular midfield has been Fede Valverde, who has started in all the games this season and played till the final whistle in all the games except one. Now, according to reports, people close to the Uruguayan are worried that he could suffer an injury from accumulating too many minutes without proper rest.

With a long season ahead, the concern is valid and even though the player himself is eager to play every minute, hopefully, Ancelotti will give Fede some rest before it is too late.

Moving on to the opponents, Villarreal are placed 3rd in the points table, with just a point separating them from Real Madrid. They have the same number of wins as Los Blancos but their only defeat this season was a 1-5 drubbing at La Ceramica against FC Barcelona.

Ayoze Perez has been their main man with 6 goals in 7 matches, placed just behind Robert Lewandowski on the La Liga scoring charts.

Other than Perez, the Yellow Submarine have captain Dani Parejo, Alejandro Baena, Gerard Moreno and Nicolas Pepe to cause the men in white some trouble.

But what Los Blancos can exploit is Villarreal’s weak defense. Marcelino’s side has failed to keep a cleansheet in any match this season, conceding 15 goals in 8 matches. With Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo up front for Real Madrid, it will be a stern test for the Yellow Submarine’s defence.

Real Madrid failed to take advantage of FC Barcelona dropping points last week and faced their season’s first loss a few days ago. So, the fans will be expecting Ancelotti’s men to come out all guns blazing at the Bernabeu for this encounter.