Villarreal vs Real Madrid: La Liga – teams, start, kickoff time, lineups

Who: Villarreal vs Real Madrid
What: Spanish La Liga
Where: Estadio de la Ceramica successful Villarreal, Spain
When: Saturday, January 23, astatine 9pm (20:00 GMT).
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up connected Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our substance commentary stream.

Real Madrid volition assertion apical spot successful La Liga with a triumph connected Saturday, but lasting successful their mode are a plucky Villarreal that person their ain ambitions for a rubric charge.

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Los Blancos parted company with caput manager Xabi Alonso connected January 12, and suffered the contiguous daze of a Copa del Rey exit astatine the hands of lowly Albacete successful their precise adjacent game.

Moving supra Barcelona, who bash not play until they big Real Oviedo connected Sunday, would beryllium a superior connection for the Spanish giants, whose play appeared acceptable to lurch into freefall successful caller months.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine Saturday’s match, wherever Villarreal volition anticipation to adhd their ain twist arsenic they proceed their plight arsenic the season’s astonishment package.

How person Real Madrid reversed the signifier book?

Real Madrid roared backmost to beingness this week, led by a superb Vinicius Junior, and volition present question to crush the menace of different rubric contender astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic they caput to Spain’s eastbound coast.

An emphatic 6-1 victory implicit Monaco connected Tuesday successful the Champions League helped brighten the gloom successful the Spanish superior and gain caller manager Alvaro Arbeloa a modicum of credit. Automatic qualification for the past 16 volition beryllium secured with a triumph successful their last league signifier lucifer astatine Benfica connected Wednesday.

The midweek lucifer was the archetypal glimpse of what his squad mightiness look like, aft the Copa del Rey past 16 decision against Albacete successful his archetypal lucifer astatine the helm was the show of a nine heavy successful the doldrums.

Arbeloa’s 2nd match, a triumph implicit Levante successful La Liga past weekend, was marked by a monumental amusement of dissent from location fans, the shadiness of which the squad struggled to look from.

However, with the fans down them again against Monaco, Madrid enactment successful their champion show of the season, with Brazilian winger Vinicius offering a sensational display, successful particular.

Why has Vinicius been struggling and wherefore was helium booed by Real Madrid fans?

After going 16 games successful a enactment without uncovering the net, Vinicius has present scored 2 successful his past 4 matches.

Beyond a delightful solo extremity against Monaco, helium was a persistent menace and played cardinal parts successful 3 much of his team’s strikes.

The show silenced the boo boys successful the stands and reminded everyone of the endowment that was cardinal to Real’s Champions League and La Liga treble successful 2024.

“I deliberation he’s a subordinate who thrives erstwhile helium gets love,” said teammate Jude Bellingham. “He goes up leaps and bounds successful his crippled and becomes truthful overmuch much joyful to ticker and to play with.

“I deliberation that’s the unit that the benignant of whistles enactment connected a player. But present it seems similar he’s escaped from those shackles a small bit, and hopefully helium tin continue.”

What is Vinicius’s instrumentality connected his form?

Vinicius himself admitted helium needed the Bernabeu faithful by his broadside alternatively than connected his back.

“We person to support going and person the enactment of our fans truthful that everything returns to normal,” said the winger.

“We privation to win, the fans privation it, too, and if we instrumentality together, we’re going to execute large things this season.”

The winger ran implicit to hug his coach, Arbeloa, aft scoring, aft the Spaniard had defended him publically implicit the past week.

“I saw the fans wholly devoted to Vinicius, chanting his sanction … I said it the different day, helium needs to consciousness loved by his people, he’s precise affectional and helium needs that affection,” said the coach.

Will Vinicius renew his Real Madrid contract?

Vinicius, who finished arsenic runner-up successful the Ballon d’Or rankings successful 2024, has struggled for consistency ever since.

The 25-year-old’s declaration astatine Madrid runs retired successful the summertime of 2027, and for months, helium has been successful an evident standoff with the nine implicit renewing it.

In the days aft his sizzling show against Monaco, that concern seems to beryllium dilatory easing, too.

“Renewal talks are gathering pace. Despite a bruising week, the Brazilian knows that Real Madrid arsenic an instauration are firmly down him,” wrote Spanish paper AS.

“Vinicius needed the backing of his ain to emergence from the ashes – and the embrace, archetypal from his teammates and past from Alvaro Arbeloa, made that clear.”

Arbeloa has indicated from the opening of his reign that a blessed Vinicius volition pb to a blessed Madrid.

How person Villarreal fared successful La Liga this season?

Marcelino Garcia Toral’s third-placed Villarreal are 7 points down Madrid and 8 disconnected champions Barca; a decision would truthful virtually constitute disconnected immoderate accidental of a archetypal La Liga title.

Whatever the effect connected Saturday, though, it has been a singular tally until now.

The eastbound seashore nine mislaid lone 1 of their archetypal 7 La Liga fixtures this season, winning five. A akin tally would spot them triumph six successful a enactment from precocious October done aboriginal December – a thrust that was ended by decision astatine Barcelona.

Toral’s broadside bounced backmost to triumph their pursuing 2 matches but they did endure decision successful their past home outing, going down 2-0 astatine Real Betis past Saturday.

Estadio de la Ceramica has proven to beryllium a fortress this play with 8 wins, a gully and 1 decision recorded astatine home, that successful examination with 5 wins, a gully and 3 defeats connected the road.

How person Villarreal fared successful the Champions League?

The exploits successful Europe person not been arsenic rewarding for Villarreal, with six defeats and a gully recorded successful their 7 games.

They decorativeness the league signifier of the Champions League astatine Bayer Leverkusen connected Wednesday, but immoderate hopes of reaching the adjacent circular person agelong since faded.

What happened the past clip Villarreal played Real Madrid?

Real won the archetypal gathering successful La Liga this play 3-1 astatine Bernabeu connected October 4.

Vinicius Junior netted 2 minutes successful the 2nd fractional to unfastened the scoring, past doubled Real’s tally from the punishment spot with 20 minutes remaining.

Georges Mikautadze pulled 1 backmost for the distant squad but aft Santiago Mourino saw reddish successful the 77th minute, Kylian Mbappe soon aft netted Real’s 3rd to guarantee the win.

Head-to-head

This volition beryllium the 55th gathering betwixt the sides, with Real Madrid winning 31 of the encounters. Villarreal person emerged victorious connected lone six occasions.

Villareal squad news

Willy Kambwala (hamstring), Logan Costa (knee), Pau Cabanes (knee), Santi Comesana (suspended) and Santiago Mourino (suspended) are each unavailable for the sojourn of Real.

Having played a much-changed lineup successful the Champions League successful midweek, caput manager Marcelino is acceptable to ringing the changes and bring backmost a fig of the prima names, including Tajon Buchanan, Georges Mikautadze, Dani Parejo, Pau Navarro and Alfonso Pedraza.

Villarreal predicted starting lineup (4-4-2)

Junior; Navarro, Veiga, Foyth, Pedraza; Buchanan, Parejo, Gueye, Moleiro; Perez, Mikautadze

Real Madrid squad news

Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended pursuing his 5th booking of the season, which was picked up successful past weekend’s 2-0 triumph against Levante.

Rodrygo has returned from wounded and is acceptable to start, portion Brahim Diaz has returned from Morocco work astatine the Africa Cup of Nations.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh), Eder Militao (hamstring), Ferland Mendy (hamstring) and Antonio Rudiger (knee) each stay absent.

Real Madrid predicted starting lineup (4-3-3)

Courtois; Valverde, Huijsen, Asencio, Carreras; Guler, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius

Villareal and Real Madrid’s past 5 matches

Villarreal: W-L-L-W-W (most caller effect last, each competitions)

Real Madrid: W-L-W-W-L (most caller effect last, each competitions)