La Liga,
Round 8
Real Madrid
REA
Villarreal
VIL
-
Venue
- Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Preview for Real Madrid v Villarreal
José Mourinho has had three weeks to stew on the Madrid derby, and judging by his Friday press conference, he hasn’t enjoyed a single minute of it. Real Madrid return to La Liga action against Villarreal on Saturday night needing a response, and needing to stop the gap to leaders Barcelona from growing any further.
Madrid sit fourth with 15 points from seven games, six behind Hansi Flick’s Barca side. Two league defeats already, to Real Betis and then 2-1 at Atlético Madrid on September 20, have taken some of the shine off Mourinho’s return.
The positives are there for Madrid. They have won all three of their home league games so far, scoring 12 and conceding just two, and they bounced back from the derby with a 5-0 thrashing of Kairat Almaty in the Champions League. They are also unbeaten in their last nine La Liga games at the Bernabéu.
The build-up, though, has been dominated by Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman came home early from France duty with a knee problem after scoring the winner against Turkey, and his activities during the break were then picked apart in the Spanish press. Mourinho was having none of it. He called the coverage “ridiculous”, and made his position clear: “Kylian Mbappé is going to play. He won’t even be on the bench. He’s going to play.”
Villarreal arrive in much better spirits than they started the season. Íñigo Pérez, who replaced Marcelino in the summer, endured a nightmare opening, failing to win any of his first five league games and losing to Borussia Dortmund on the Champions League opening night. But two straight wins before the break, the last a 3-1 victory over Levante, have lifted them to ninth on eight points, and Mourinho was quick to describe them as “a Champions League team, a top-level team” that will finish much higher than where they are now.
History is firmly on Madrid’s side. Villarreal have won just twice in 27 visits to the Bernabéu, and Madrid won the last meeting between the sides 2-0.
The La Liga Table
La Liga 2026
Spain
| # | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Barcelona |
7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 7 | 24 | 21 |
W
W
W
W
W
|
| 2 |
Atletico Madrid |
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
W
W
W
L
W
|
| 3 |
Real Betis |
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
D
W
W
W
L
|
| 4 |
Real Madrid |
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 15 |
L
W
W
L
W
|
| 5 |
Sevilla |
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 13 |
L
W
W
D
L
|
| 6 |
Alaves |
7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
D
L
L
W
W
|
| 7 |
Deportivo La Coruna |
7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
D
L
D
W
W
|
| 8 |
Real Sociedad |
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 10 |
W
L
W
D
W
|
| 9 |
Villarreal |
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 8 |
W
W
L
L
L
|
| 10 |
Athletic Club |
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
D
D
W
W
L
|
| 11 |
Getafe |
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 8 |
W
L
D
D
L
|
| 12 |
Rayo Vallecano |
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 16 | -5 | 8 |
D
W
L
W
L
|
| 13 |
Osasuna |
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 8 |
D
L
L
L
W
|
| 14 |
Celta Vigo |
7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
W
D
D
D
L
|
| 15 |
Espanyol |
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
L
L
W
D
L
|
| 16 |
Racing Santander |
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 21 | -10 | 7 |
L
L
W
L
W
|
| 17 |
Levante |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 5 |
L
L
D
W
D
|
| 18 |
Elche |
7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 17 | -6 | 5 |
W
L
D
L
L
|
| 19 |
Valencia |
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 4 |
L
W
L
L
L
|
| 20 |
Malaga |
7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | -9 | 3 |
L
L
D
D
L
|
- Position 1, 2, 3, 4 : Champions League league stage
- Position 5 : Europa League league stage
- Position 6 : ECL Playoffs
- Position 18, 19, 20 : Relegation
Team News for Real Madrid v Villarreal
Mbappé is fit and will start after Real Madrid’s own diagnosis and an external specialist’s second opinion matched up. Mourinho explained that because of the history with Mbappé’s knee, the club wanted to be thorough.
Federico Valverde is the main doubt. The Uruguayan suffered a grade three ankle sprain after a heavy challenge from Lee Kang-in in the derby and missed the Uruguay squad as a result. “Federico Valverde is the doubt. Éder Militão, unfortunately, is not a doubt, he won’t be there,” Mourinho said. Militão is still a couple of weeks away, so he will also miss the trip to Roma and the Sevilla game next week.
Dean Huijsen is suspended after being sent off against Atletico. Raúl Asencio is out for the rest of 2026 after surgery on a stress fracture in his tibia, while Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are still working their way back from injuries carried over from last season. On the plus side, Ibrahima Konaté has recovered from his knee sprain and should partner Antonio Rüdiger at centre-back.
For Villarreal, Tajon Buchanan is out with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty with Canada. Nicolas Pépé is expected to take his place on the wing. Santi Comesaña and Juan Foyth are both back in full training after shaking off knocks, while Ilias Akhomach is fit after a scare with Morocco.
Expected line-ups for Real Madrid v Villarreal
Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konaté, Rüdiger, Cucurella; Tchouaméni, Bernardo Silva; Güler, Bellingham, Vinícius Jr; Mbappé
Villarreal: Gulácsi; Mouriño, Navarro, Veiga, Cardona; Pépé, Comesaña, Gueye, Moleiro; Perez, Mikautadze
Recent Form & Stats for Real Madrid v Villarreal
- Real Madrid are fourth with 15 points from seven games, six points behind leaders Barcelona
- Madrid have won all three of their home league games this season, scoring 12 goals and conceding two
- Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last nine La Liga matches at the Bernabéu
- Madrid lost 2-1 to Atlético Madrid in their last league game but responded with a 5-0 Champions League win at Kairat Almaty
- Villarreal are ninth with eight points and have won their last two league games, most recently 3-1 against Levante
- Villarreal have scored in six of their seven La Liga matches this season
- Real Madrid have won 19 of their 27 home meetings with Villarreal, with Villarreal winning only twice
- Real Madrid won the most recent meeting between the sides 2-0
Recent Results : Real Madrid
-
La Liga
Atletico Madrid
ATM
L 2 – 1 2026-09-20
Real Madrid
REA
-
La Liga
Elche
ELC
W 2 – 3 2026-09-15
Real Madrid
REA
-
La Liga
Real Madrid
REA
W 4 – 1 2026-09-12
Rayo Vallecano
RAY
-
UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid
REA
W 2 – 1 2026-09-08
Inter
INT
-
La Liga
Real Betis
BET
L 1 – 0 2026-09-04
Real Madrid
REA
Recent Results : Villarreal
-
La Liga
Villarreal
VIL
W 3 – 1 2026-09-20
Levante
LEV
-
La Liga
Malaga
MAL
W 1 – 3 2026-09-17
Villarreal
VIL
-
La Liga
Villarreal
VIL
L 1 – 2 2026-09-14
Real Betis
BET
-
UEFA Champions League
Borussia Dortmund
DOR
L 3 – 2 2026-09-08
Villarreal
VIL
-
La Liga
Villarreal
VIL
L 2 – 3 2026-09-05
Deportivo La Coruna
COR
Where to Watch Real Madrid v Villarreal: TV and online streams
Real Madrid versus Villarreal kicks off at 8pm BST on Saturday October 10, at the Santiago Bernabéu.
In the UK, it will be shown on Disney+. In Spain, the game is live on Movistar LaLiga and Orange TV.
Here’s the full list of La Liga international broadcasters.
Prediction for Real Madrid v Villarreal
It’s unlikely to be straightforward but Madrid’s attacking riches mean they are hard to back against. Villarreal will be dangerous but don’t be surprised if Mbappe answers the critics with the winner.
Match Prediction
Real Madrid
Villarreal
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