The Matchday 7 La Liga clash between Villarreal and Athletic will take place on September 27 at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Villarreal vs. Athletic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Villarreal
The team has shown its ambitions for the current season right from the start of La Liga. Last Tuesday, Villarreal defeated Sevilla, marking their fourth win in the first six matches of the championship. Overall, the club has won 10 of their last 12 La Liga encounters. With 13 points out of a possible 18, Marcelino Garcia's side sits in third place on the table, behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid.
- Villarreal's home winning streak in the championship extends to seven matches.
- The team has conceded a total of five goals this season in La Liga, with only Real Madrid and Barcelona having better records.
- The club has scored in 11 of their last 12 La Liga games.
Predicted lineup for Villarreal (4-3-3)
Arnau Tenas – Santiago Mourino, Rafa Marin, Renato Veiga, Sergi Cardona – Pape Gueye, Santi Comesana, Dani Parejo – Alberto Moleiro, Tajon Buchanan, Tani Oluwaseyi.
Defenders Juan Foyth, Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala, midfielder Santi Comesana, and forwards Gerard Moreno, Ilias Akhomach, Ayoze Perez, Pau Cabanes are unavailable due to health issues.
Athletic
Ernesto Valverde's team has yet to overcome the slump that followed the international break. Athletic started the current La Liga campaign with three consecutive victories but then slowed down, earning just one point over three rounds. In their last match, the club drew with Girona, ending a nine-match uncompromising streak in La Liga (6 wins, 3 losses). Notably, the Basque side is in sixth place on the table.
- Athletic has conceded in six of their last seven league matches.
- The club has avoided defeat in 14 of their last 18 La Liga games (9 wins, 5 draws).
- At least one team failed to score in eight of Athletic's last nine away matches in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Athletic (4-2-3-1)
Unai Simon – Andoni Gorosabel, Aymeric Laporte, Aitor Paredes, Adama Boirou – Mikel Vesga, Mikel Jauregi – Oihan Sancet, Inaki Williams, Nico Serrano – Gorka Guruzeta.
Goalkeeper Alex Padilla and key defender Daniel Vivian have served their suspensions. Head coach Ernesto Valverde is still banned and cannot manage the team from the sidelines. Defender Yeray Alvarez is suspended for doping. Forward Nico Williams is sidelined due to injury.
Villarreal vs. Athletic: Match Prediction
Villarreal has been delivering impressive results in La Liga while also playing an attractive style of football. Marcelino Garcia's side has scored at least two goals in seven of their last nine league matches, and in six of those nine games, at least three goals were scored in total. Additionally, the team has hit the two-goal mark in their last six home matches in La Liga.
Pragmatic Athletic is not known for high-scoring performances, but it's worth noting that in five of their last seven league games, at least two goals were scored. Furthermore, at least two goals have been scored in eight of the last ten encounters between Athletic and Villarreal.
I believe the teams will certainly keep us entertained and score at least a couple of goals between them. Prediction – Total over 2
