Villarreal vs Real Madrid: Predictions, odds & betting tips

Real Madrid travel to the Estadio de la Ceramica on Saturday afternoon to face Villarreal, with Carlos Ancelotti's men aiming to maintain their strong position in La Liga.

Los Blancos come into this weekend's round of fixtures six points clear at the top of the table but face a Villarreal team who have been in impressive form since the turn of the year.

The most recent meeting between these sides finished 0-0 in September at the Bernabeu, while each of Madrid's last four visits to Villarreal have ended in draws.

Another stalemate can be backed at 5/2 (3.50) with bet365, while the visitors are priced at 13/8 (2.62) to record their first win at the Estadio de la Ceramica since 2017.

Unai Emery's team, meanwhile, are offered at 8/5 (2.60) to claim their eighth home league win of the season.

Both teams look set to be missing their respective top goalscorers with Villarreal's Gerard Moreno ruled out, and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema a major doubt.

Vinicius Junior missed last weekend's win over Granada through suspension but should return and the young Brazilian is available at 13/2 (7.50) to break the deadlock, behind Paco Alcacer at 6/1 (7.00) and Arnaut Danjuma at 9/2 (5.50).

The Yellow Submarine come into the game off the back of an excellent win against high-flying Real Betis last weekend, but the 2-0 victory came at a cost with Gerard Moreno limping off with a muscle problem that looks set to keep him out for around three weeks.

Without the Spain international forward, Villarreal are a different side and their attacking threat is considerably reduced.

Madrid, too, are likely to be without the man who makes them tick, with Karim Benzema's thigh problem a cause for real concern, especially with a Champions League tie against PSG coming up next week.

Both sides will see their goalscoring prowess diminished, therefore, and there should be plenty of interest in opposing a high-scoring game.

Under 2.5 goals comfortably paid out when the sides met at the Bernabeu earlier in the campaign, while also proving the correct selection when they met in Villarreal last season in a game which ended in a 1-1 score line.

Backing less than three goals on Saturday looks a shrewd option and is offered at the tempting price of evens (2.00).

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