Villarreal CF - Atletico Madrid predictions and free betting tips [01/04/2024]

On Sunday, 31 March, as part of the 30th round of Spanish La Liga, Villarreal will host Atletico Madrid. The 'Yellow Submarine' headed into the international break following their victory over Valencia with a score of 1:0, while the 'Mattress Makers' suffered a home defeat to Barcelona, with a score of 0:3.

Predicted Line-Ups

Villarreal: Jorgensen; Romero, Mosquera, Mandi, Cuenca; Traore, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; G Moreno, Sorloth.
Atletico: Oblak; Savic, Witsel, Reinildo; Llorente, Koke, Barrios, Saul, Lino; Griezmann, Morata.

Stadium

The encounter will be held at the Estadio de la Cerámica in Villarreal.

Villarreal

Villarreal has been unbeaten in La Liga since they were routed by Las Palmas (3:0) on 13 January. This unbeaten streak stretches over nine consecutive rounds, including five draws and four consecutive victories — against Real Sociedad (1:3), Granada (5:1), Betis (2:3) and Valencia (1:0) right before the international break. Such results have allowed the 'Yellow Submarine' to return to the upper half of the league table.

At the moment, the hosts rank ninth overall, though they are still far from the top-6. However, Marcelino's team was knocked out of the Europa League by Marseille in the 1/8 final round, and the next two matches will be against Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao — not the easiest of opponents. Moreover, Villarreal is only 14th in La Liga in terms of home performances, having garnered a mere 19 points in 15 matches. 

Atletico Madrid

Atletico are far behind Real Madrid and don't stand a chance for the title, and they were easily beaten by Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey semi-finals (beaten 0:4 on aggregate). Nevertheless, Griezmann and his teammates will aim to claim a Champions League spot. Likewise, they are still present in the continental tournament, having defeated Inter Milan in the 1/8 finals in penalties after a 2:2 draw in extra time.

However, before the international break, the 'stripe-clad' side alarmed their fans with a 2:0 defeat to a sinking Cadiz, who hadn't won since 1 September. A few days later, the Madrid team was even routed at home by Barcelona (0:3). By the way, the visitors haven't won on the road since their triumph over Granada (0:1) on 22 January. World Cup winner Molina will be suspended due to a red card he received in the last round. 

Head-to-Head

In the first round, the Madrid team beat Villarreal 3:1, and last season the teams drew 2:2 at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

Prediction for Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid

The two teams were in different conditions before the break: Villarreal has been undefeated in the league for two months and has won four in a row in La Liga, while Atletico has dropped from the Champions League top four and suffered a crushing defeat to Barça at home. Furthermore, Atletico hasn't been performing well away from home, and they haven't been able to secure a win on their travels for six consecutive matches. My prediction is that the 'Yellow Submarine' will at least draw.

Total Goals Prediction

Villarreal has netted 13 goals in the last five rounds, and with the backing of their home crowd, they certainly won't play second fiddle. I'm confidently backing Villarreal's individual total goals of over 1.

Corner Prediction

Atletico have averaged just 4.5 corners per game this season and rarely win in this regard. I predict that Villarreal will at least match Atletico in number of corners.

Yellow Card Prediction

Villarreal averages three yellow cards per match, while the visitors average 2.2. I confidently predict that the total number of yellow cards will be over 4.5.

Score Prediction

I am predicting a precise score of 2:1 in favour of Villarreal.