Villarreal and Atletico Madrid draw the curtain on their 2025-26 Spanish La Liga campaign when they square off at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday. Both sides have enjoyed a solid league campaign and will be out to clinch third position in the table, as they sit level on 69 points in the top four.
Villarreal’s dreams of a highest league finish since clinching second place in 2008 now hang in the balance, with the Yellow Submarine running out of steam in the decisive final stretch of the campaign.
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Marcelino’s men were condemned to a second consecutive defeat last Sunday, when they were beaten 2-0 by Rayo Vallecano, extending their winless run to three matches (1D 2L) since their 5-1 victory over Levante on May 2.
Despite their recent slump, Villarreal can take pride in their performance this season, having racked up 69 points from their 37 matches so far to sit third in the standings, level on points with this weekend’s visitors in fourth place.
Atletico Madrid, in contrast, have picked up the pace in the run-in, claiming four wins from their last five league matches, including a 1-0 victory over Girona last Sunday.
The UEFA Champions League semi-final heartbreak at the hands of Arsenal put a somewhat sour taste on their campaign, but Diego Simeone’s side have since focused on finishing as high as possible in the league.
Atletico Madrid will be backing themselves to get the job done on Sunday as they take on an opposing side who have failed to beat them in their last six meetings, with Villarreal losing three and claiming three draws against Atleti since a 2-0 victory in August 2022.
Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- With 18 wins from the last 47 meetings between the sides, Atletico Madrid boast a slightly superior record in the history of this fixture.
- Villarreal have picked up 14 wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 15 occasions.
- Atletico Madrid are unbeaten in their last seven visits to the Estadio de la Ceramica, picking up two wins and five draws since a 2-1 loss in March 2018.
- Villarreal have won six of their most recent seven home matches, with a 3-2 loss against Sevilla on May 13 being the exception.
Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Prediction
With third place on the line, this is a tough match to call, as both teams will believe that they have what it takes to get the job done. Villarreal have been near impenetrable at the Estadio de la Ceramica of late, but Atletico Madrid will draw encouragement from their unbeaten away record against the Yellow Submarine.
In what will be Antoine Griezmann’s farewell match for Atleti ahead of his move to MLS side Orlando City, we predict the visitors will do just enough to secure a narrow victory here.
Prediction: Villarreal 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result – Atletico to win
Tip 2: Both sides to score – Yes (Both teams have scored in five of their last six encounters)
Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards – Yes (There have also been at least five bookings in six of the last seven meetings between the two teams)
Edited by Peter Pedroncelli