Atletico Madrid - Villarreal CF predictions and free betting tips [12/11/2023]

On Sunday, 12th November, as part of round 13 of the Spanish Primera, Atletico Madrid will host Villarreal on their home turf. Diego Simeone's squad, currently lying in fourth place, decimated Celtic in the Champions League this week (6:0), whereas Villarreal, sitting at the thirteenth spot, triumphed over Maccabi in the Europa League on the past Thursday with a 1:2 score.

Predicted Line-ups

Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Molina, Savic, Gimenez, Hermoso, Lino; De Paul, Koke, Griezmann; Correa, Morata.
Villarreal: Jorgensen; Alti, Albiol, Gabbia, A Moreno; Akhomach, Capoue, Parejo, Baena; Sorloth, Pino.

Stadium

The match will take place in Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico Madrid

Throughout the autumn, Los Colchoneros achieved excellent results both in the Champions League and the domestic championship. However, they unexpectedly stumbled in the league last weekend, losing 2:1 to Las Palmas. This defeat ended a run of nine games unbeaten in all competitions for the red and whites. Simeone's men have collected 25 points after 11 rounds, allowing them to occupy the fourth place in the overall standings, with a game in hand. Luckily for the capital club's supporters, their favourites redeemed themselves in the Champions League, routing Celtic 6:0. Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata each netted twice. Now, the Madrilenians are leading their group in the main continental tournament, outpacing the following Lazio, although the advance to the 1/8 final is not yet guaranteed.

In today’s match, Memphis Depay (injured), Thomas Lemar (Achilles tendon rupture), and Renildo (recovering from ACL injury) will not participate. The latter is still recovering and may return to the pitch after the international break. Add to this list the name of Vitolo, who returned from loan in the summer but got injured. He will most likely be left out of the squad again. World Cup-winning Argentine, Rodrigo De Paul, who was sent off in the Champions League, is set to return. In this super-packed line-up, Alvaro Morata (12 goals in all competitions, including 5 in the Champions League) and Antoine Griezmann (11 goals in all competitions, including 4 in the Champions League) make for a potent attacking duo. Lino Dias (often substituted in the league) and Saul Niguez, who both found the net against Celtic, may also start today.

Villarreal

Villarreal is in a state of utter uncertainty and doesn't show a sign of a swift recovery. Holding only the 13th spot in La Liga standings, 'the Yellow Submarine' fell to Athletic Bilbao in the last round with a 2:3 score, having won just one of their last seven league matches. Midweek, just like Atletico, Villarreal gave a solid performance in the UEFA competitions – against Maccabi Haifa in the Europa League. The Spaniards took an early lead and scored both goals within four minutes at the end of the match (1:2).

This victory moved them up to the second place in the group standings, three points behind the leaders, Rennes. But it was still not enough to save the destiny of head coach Paco Lopez, who was in the job for just two months. Gerard Moreno is back on the injury list and will miss today's clash. His absence is indeed a huge blow considering his contribution to his team's play (7 goals in La Liga, second top scorer alongside Morata and Griezmann). 

Head-to-Head encounters

Surprisingly, in La Liga, Atletico have failed to beat Villarreal since February 2021. Last season, Los Rojiblancos suffered a 2:0 home defeat, whereas the away game ended in a 2:2 draw.

Match Prediction for Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal

Villarreal find themselves in such a dire situation, and it’s hard to imagine a team without a head coach putting up any resistance against Atletico, who are in excellent form, despite the slip-up against Las Palmas. The hosts aim to close the gap with the leading duo in the league standings, and a slip-up should not be allowed ahead of the international break. My prediction is an Atletico victory with a -1.5 handicap.

Total Goals Prediction

Griezmann and Morata are in harmony upfront and score goals one after another. In 11 rounds, the Madrilenians have hammered 26 goals; therefore, I recommend betting on the favourite's individual total over 2.

Corners Prediction

Atletico will play at home, with the support of their home crowd, whilst the visitors will solely rely on counter-attacks. I expect at least 6 corners from Los Rojiblancos tonight.

Yellow Cards Prediction

In four of their last five encounters, the sides racked up at least 4 yellow cards between them. I believe this trend will continue this time around.

Exact Score Prediction

I’ll wager on an exact score of 3:0 in favour of Atletico Madrid.