Who: Villarreal vs Real Madrid
Content: Spanish La Liga
Location: Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal, Spain
Date and time: Saturday, January 23rd, 9pm (20:00 GMT).
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 17:00 GMT, ahead of the text commentary stream.
Real Madrid will take the top spot in La Liga with a win on Saturday, but their path will be blocked by a brave Villarreal side with title ambitions.
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Los Blancos parted ways with manager Xabi Alonso on January 12, and suffered a shock exit from the Copa del Rey in their next game at the hands of bottom-ranked Albacete.
Getting ahead of Barcelona, who do not have a game until Sunday when they host Real Oviedo, would be a major statement for the Spanish giants, whose season has looked like it was going to take a nosedive in recent months.
Al Jazeera Sports looks at Saturday’s match, with Villarreal hoping to add their own twist to the season’s surprise package as their plight continues.
How did Real Madrid turn the tables?
Real Madrid are reinvigorated this week, led by the brilliant Vinicius Junior, and will aim to crush the threat of another title contender as they head to Spain’s east coast.
Tuesday’s 6-1 thrashing of Monaco in the Champions League brightened the gloomy mood in the Spanish capital and brought some recognition to new manager Alvaro Arbeloa. A victory in the final league game against Benfica on Wednesday will automatically secure a place in the last 16.
The midweek match was the first glimpse of what his side would be like after losing in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey in his first match in charge against Albacete.
Arbeloa’s second game, last weekend’s La Liga win over Levante, featured a monumental display of dissent from the home fans, with the team struggling to emerge from its shadow.
However, with the support of their fans against Monaco, Madrid produced their best performance of the season, with a particularly sensational performance from Brazilian winger Vinicius.
Why did Vinicius struggle and get booed by Real Madrid fans?
Vinicius has not found the back of the net for 16 consecutive games, but has scored two goals in his last four games.
Apart from his happy solo goal against Monaco, he was a persistent threat and played a key role in three further goals for his team.
The performance silenced the boos in the stands and reminded everyone of the talent that was key to Real’s Champions League and La Liga double in 2024.
“I think he’s a player who thrives on love,” teammate Jude Bellingham said. “He has improved tremendously in his game and is a lot of fun to watch and play with.
“I think that’s a kind of pressure on the whistle for the player. But now he seems to be a little bit freed from that bondage and I hope he can continue.”
What does Vinicius think about his form?
Vinicius himself admitted he needed the Bernabéu faithful by his side, not his back.
“We have to keep moving forward and have the support of our fans so that everything returns to normal,” the winger said.
“We want to win and the fans want it too. If we stick together we can achieve great things this season.”
The winger ran up to his coach Arbeloa and hugged him after the goal, after the Spaniard publicly defended him last week.
“I saw the fans completely devoted to Vinicius, chanting his name… As I said the other day, he needs to feel loved by the people, he is very emotional and needs that affection,” the coach said.
Will Vinicius renew his contract with Real Madrid?
Vinicius finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2024, but has struggled for consistency since then.
The 25-year-old’s contract at Madrid expires in the summer of 2027, but he has been in apparent conflict with the club over a renewal for several months.
A few days have passed since his impressive performance against Monaco, and the situation seems to be gradually easing.
Spanish newspaper As wrote: “Contract renewal negotiations are accelerating. Despite a traumatic week, the Brazilian knows that Real Madrid as an organization has his back.”
“Vinicius needed his own backing to rise from the ashes, and the hugs he received first from his teammates and then from Alvaro Arbeloa made that clear.”
From the beginning of his reign, Arbeloa has suggested that Vinicius’ happiness would lead to Madrid’s happiness.
How have Villarreal fared in La Liga this season?
Third-place Villarreal, coached by Marcelino García Toral, are seven points behind Madrid and eight points behind champions Barça. Therefore, if they lose, their chances of winning their first La Liga title will effectively disappear.
But whatever the result Saturday, the run so far has been remarkable.
The east coast club lost just one of their first seven La Liga games this season, winning five. If they had achieved similar results, they would have won six consecutive games from late October to early December, but that streak ended with the loss to Barcelona.
Toral’s side bounced back and won their next two games, but suffered a defeat in their last domestic match last Saturday, losing 2-0 to Real Betis.
Estadio de la Ceramica has proven to be a fortress this season, with 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss at home compared to 5 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses away from home.
How did Villarreal do in the Champions League?
Villarreal’s exploits in Europe were less rewarding, with six losses and one draw in seven games.
They finish their Champions League campaign against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, but any hopes of progressing to the next round are long gone.
What happened the last time Villarreal played Real Madrid?
Real played their first La Liga game of the season at the Bernabéu on October 4th, winning 3-1.
Vinicius Junior put them ahead with a goal two minutes into the second half, then doubled Real’s tally from the penalty spot with 20 minutes remaining.
Georges Mikautadze pulled one back for the visitors, but Santiago Moulino’s first red in the 77th minute was followed by Kylian Mbappé’s third goal shortly after, sealing Real’s victory.
direct confrontation
This will be the 55th time the two sides have faced each other, with Real Madrid winning 31 of them. Villarreal have won only six times.
Villarreal team news
Willy Kambwala (hamstring), Logan Costa (knee), Pau Cabanes (knee), Santi Comesana (suspended) and Santiago Moulino (suspended) will all be unavailable for Real’s visit.
Despite playing with a significantly changed squad in the Champions League in midweek, head coach Marcelino has called for changes and plans to bring back a number of star players, including Tahon Buchanan, Jorge Mikautadze, Dani Parejo, Pau Navarro and Alfonso Pedraza.
Villarreal’s projected starting lineup (4-4-2)
Junior; Navarro, Veiga, Foyth, Pedraza. Buchanan, Parejo, Guye, Moreiro. Perez, Mikautase
Real Madrid team news
Aurelien Choameny was suspended for the fifth time this season during last weekend’s 2-0 win over Levante.
Rodrigo is expected to start after returning from injury, while Brahim Dias returns from Morocco’s squad at the African Cup of Nations.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh), Eder Militao (hamstring), Ferland Mendy (hamstring) and Antonio Rudiger (knee) remain sidelined.
Real Madrid’s projected starting lineup (4-3-3)
Courtois. Valverde, Huisén, Asensio, Carreras. Guler, Camavinga, Bellingham. Rodrigo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Last 5 matches between Villarreal and Real Madrid
Villarreal: WLLWW (latest results last, all competitions)
Real Madrid: WLWWL (latest results last, all competitions)
