Atletico Madrid v Villarreal

Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal Preview

Atletico Madrid stumbled to only their second defeat in this new La Liga season last time out when they were handed a surprise 2-1 loss away from home at Las Palmas but Diego Simeone's men now return to their beloved Estádio Cívitas Metropolitano where the hosts still remain unbeaten this term, while Villarreal suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to Athletic Bilbao last weekend, so confidence may have been shaken a little after that loss.

Despite that loss last time out, Atletico Madrid still occupy a place in the top four of the La Liga table and they'll be keen to rekindle the sort of form which brought them an impressive six-match winning streak prior to that loss against Las Palmas, here this Sunday evening.

That impressive sequence of results included four wins being chalked up on home soil with victories against the likes of second placed and local rivals Real Madrid, followed by subsequent wins against Cadiz, Real Sociedad and Alaves respectively.

Indeed, such has been Atletico Madrid's dominance at their Estádio Cívitas Metropolitano that the hosts have won a staggering 15 out of their last 16 home games, so Simeone's side will be brimming with confidence here.

Villarreal dropped down the La Liga table to 13th place following last weekend's 3-2 defeat at home to Athletic Bilbao and league wins have generally been hard to come by for the visitors as they have managed to capture just three wins all season to date from their 12 matches played.

Wins against Mallorca, Almeria and Granada have been achieved against three of the bottom four clubs in the La Liga table and this underlines Villarreal's problems when facing teams in the top half of the table for example.

50% of Villarreal's matches so far this season have resulted in defeat for the visitors although they have suffered just the one defeat in their opening five outings on the road so far this season which came in a heavy 3-1 loss away from home at Cadiz.

Victories at Mallorca and Granada have been welcome but can the visitors produce a stubborn display against Atletico Madrid and frustrate their hosts on Sunday evening, especially as they have lost just three of their last 12 away games in the Spanish top flight?

Atletico Madrid v Villarreal Verdict

Three of the previous four meetings between Atletico Madrid and Villarreal have resulted not only in draws but high-scoring 2-2 stalemates while the other meeting ended up a 2-0 win for Villarreal at the Estádio Cívitas Metropolitano.

This time around though, Atletico Madrid look set for further success here as the hosts may well outscore Villarreal to extend their winning streak on home soil.

Therefore, our main bet will be Over 2.5 goals @ 1.50

Other side bets worth considering:

Atletico Madrid win & @ Over 3.5 goals 2.75

Correct Score: Atletico Madrid 2-1 @ 8.50