La Liga: Real Madrid Can Close in on Top Spot if They Dispatch Villarreal

Real Madrid vs Villarreal

Real Madrid’s pursuit of the top spot in the La Liga table continues this Sunday, as they are slated to host Villarreal.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side is currently second behind surprise leaders Girona with 39 points, but they can be back at the top if they win and if Girona lose or draw against Alaves.

11 notches below Los Blancos is where Villarreal stand with 16 points, and they are in a three-way tie with Alaves and Osasuna.

While this game feels like a sure win for Real Madrid because they’re in better form than their visitors, Villarreal have proven that they are a tricky team to deal with, based on their recent head-to-head meetings.

Continue reading below for the SBOTOP preview of this contest at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Talking Points

Real Madrid’s defence deserves plaudits

Jude Bellingham may have taken the spotlight for Real Madrid, but their unrelenting defence should be given credit as well as for why they remain competitive in all fronts.

As of this writing, Los Blancos have the best defence in the league, with only 10 goals conceded. In the final third, they have scored the second-most goals with 34, for a healthy goal difference of +24.

A huge reason for their success is because of their goalkeepers, who have been solid alongside the likes of centre-backs David Alaba, Nacho, and Antonio Rudiger.

Kepa Arrizabalaga is the team’s first-choice goalie since Thibaut Courtois is out indefinitely, but when he went down with an abductor injury last month, backup Andriy Lunin made sure that the team didn’t skip a beat.

With Lunin manning between the sticks in their last six matches across all competitions, Real Madrid have only conceded four goals, including clean sheets against Braga, Cadiz, and Granada.

Because Lunin is in impressive form, head coach Carlo Ancelotti faces a goalkeeper dilemma, especially since the Ukrainian international’s contract expires at the end of the season.

Right now, it appears that Ancelotti favours Kepa since he put him right back into the starting XI during their midweek win against Union Berlin.

Morales might be in for a long night

Real Madrid’s defence will key in on Jose Luis Morales, who is suddenly back on board after an anonymous start to the 2023-24 campaign.

Morales was mainly responsible for giving Marcelino Garcia Toral his first La Liga win back with the Yellow Submarine by recording a hat-trick against Osasuna (3-1), and then he followed it up by scoring two more goals against Panathinaikos and Sevilla in their next two games.

Prior to the Osasuna match, Morales actually notched a brace to secure Villarreal’s passage to the third round of the Copa del Rey in their 2-1 comeback victory against Zamora.

However, Morales hasn’t scored in their last three matches against Maccabi Haifa, Real Sociedad, and Rennes, and he needs to rediscover his shooting boots fast.

History

Real Madrid and Villarreal have already faced off three times this year, which has yielded a total of 13 goals between them, with the latter winning twice and the former winning once.

Villarreal recorded their first league double over Real Madrid for the first time ever last season, and those two league victories are as many as they had in their previous 24 La Liga matches against them (D10, L12).

Furthermore, Los Blancos have won just four of their last nine La Liga home matches against the Yellow Submarine (D3, L2) after winning 11 of their first 14 La Liga home matches against them.

But overall, Real Madrid have lost just one of their last 30 La Liga home matches (W22, D7). Since losing 3-2 to Villarreal in April, Los Blancos have won 10 and drawn two in their last 12 home league games.

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2023 odds have Real Madrid as the overwhelming favourites to win this weekend, as they are priced at 1.27, while Villarreal are at 7.60 odds, and a draw is at 5.50 in the 1X2 market.

While Villarreal managed to beat Real Madrid recently, we feel that this won’t be the case this time, even if Real Madrid remain undermanned.

Due to their sheer quality, Los Blancos should be make it to the La Liga 2023 highlights reel, making Total Goals 2-3 at 2.34 or even Over 3.75 at 2.21 solid bets to also consider.

But if you think that the Yellow Submarine will win, you can opt for Correct Score 2-3 for them since it is being offered at a mouthwatering 65.00.

 

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