Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Saturday, January 24, 2026, 9:11 p.m. / Updated Saturday, January 24, 2026, 9:11 p.m.
Villarreal will host Real Madrid in a La Liga matchday 21 match. The duel at the “De la Ceramica” stadium will start at 22:00. It will be live on Prima Sport 2, Digi Sport 2 and liveTEXT on GSP.ro.
Real Madrid is in second place in La Liga, with 48 points from 20 games played, the “galacticos” having scored 43 goals and conceded 17. Villarreal is in third position with 41 points from 19 games with a goal difference of 37:19.
Villarreal – Real Madrid, live at 22:00
Villarreal – Real Madrid, starting teams:
Villarreal: Luiz Junior – Navvaro, Foyth, Veiga, Pedraza – Buchanan, Parejo, Gueye, Moleiro – Mikautadze, G. Moreno
Coach: Marcelino
real madrid: Courtois – Valverde, Huijsen, Asencio, Carreras – Guler, Camavinga, Bellingham – Mastanuono, Mbappe, Vinicius
Coach: Alvaro Arbeloa
A win for the hosts in this match would reduce the gap between the two teams to just 4 points and strengthen the claims of the “yellow submarine” for a place in the top 3. On the other hand, a success for the visitors from Madrid would increase their lead over Villarreal to 10 points, which would significantly complicate the attempts of the hosts to get closer to the top.
Villarreal come to this match after two consecutive defeats – 1:2 against Ajax in the Champions League and 0:2 at Betis in La Liga. Before that, the “yellow submarine” recorded two victories – 3:1 against Alaves and 1:3 away at Elche.
In their last match of 2025, the team lost 0:2 against Barcelona. Real Madrid, meanwhile, crushed Monaco 6-1 in the Champions League and beat Levante 2-0 in La Liga.
Previously, the “royal club” suffered two consecutive defeats, 2-3 with Albacete in the King's Cup and 2-3 with Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup. On 8 January, Madrid defeated Atlético Madrid 2–1 in the same competition.
In the last five head-to-head encounters, Real Madrid have a significant advantage with three wins and a draw, while Villarreal have failed to get a win. The last match between the two teams took place on October 4, 2025, when Real Madrid won 3:1 at their own stadium.
La Liga standings
