2 Villarreal vs 2 Atlético Madrid
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| Bet | Villarreal |
| Stake | 0.5 unit |
| Odds | 4.2 |
| Bookmaker | williamhill |
Atlético de Madrid take on Villarreal in Monday night's clash.
After a summer of squad revamps, Villarreal CF seeks redemption and a winning start against title-aspiring Atlético de Madrid in Monday night's La Liga showdown at Estadio de la Cerámica.
Villarreal
Villarreal recorded their lowest league finish since the 2018–2019 season last campaign after an eighth-place finish. The Yellow Submarine now hopes to bounce back from last season's disappointment as they go in search of European football at the end of this campaign.
The hosts have strengthened their squad with six new signings this summer, including Willy Kambwala from Manchester United and Ayoze Perez from Real Betis. The club also signed Nicolas Pépé on a free transfer from Trabzonspor.
However, there have been two notable departures: Alexander Sørloth, last season’s top scorer, who joined Monday night’s opponents, Atlético Madrid, and goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen who moved to Chelsea. Despite the exits, Marcelino García Toral will be hoping his revamped squad gets the desired result when they welcome Atlético Madrid on Monday.
While a win against the visitors on home soil is not impossible, Villarreal have failed to win any of their last six home league matches against Atlético Madrid. Additionally, Marcelino’s men have been poor in recent times, having won just one of their four pre-season friendlies, including a disappointing 4-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in their last match.
Toral is expected to deploy a 4-3-3 formation with Yéremi Pino, Arnaut Danjuma, and Alejandro Baena in attack.
Atlético Madrid
Atlético Madrid will have La Liga’s longest-serving manager, Diego Simeone, at the helm once again as he begins his 13th full season with the club. The 54-year-old Argentine manager steered the Colchoneros to a fourth-place finish last term, their lowest league finish in 12 years.
Despite securing a UCL spot, Atlético Madrid are keen to re-establish themselves as contenders for the title. An active involvement in the summer transfer window saw the Red and Whites secure the services of Julián Alvarez from Manchester City for an eye-watering €75 million, while Robin Le Normand made the switch from Real Sociedad for €35 million.
The club also signed Alexander Sørloth from Villarreal for €32 million, not to mention the possibility of seeing Chelsea's Conor Gallagher arrive. Alvaro Morata, who found the back of the net for AC Milan on his debut, left for €13 million.
Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid will be looking to secure maximum points when they face Villarreal this weekend, having won the last two league meetings between both sides. Simeone could deploy a 3—4—2—1, with new signing Julián Álvarez in attack.
Team form
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