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2022/23 Spanish La Liga
Matchday 28
Real Madrid v Villarreal CF
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Madrid, Spain
Saturday, 8 April 2023
Kick-off is at 21h00
Real Madrid will face off with Villarreal CF in a
Spanish La Liga match at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on April 8.
Current Form
The Whites hammered a hapless Real Valladolid 6-0 at home on April 2 as they bounced back to winning ways in the league.
However, Madrid are unbeaten in their last 17 matches at home having recorded five draws and 12 victories at the iconic Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
While Villarreal secured an impressive 2-0 win over Real Sociedad at home on April 2 and they are unbeaten in their last five matches in La Liga.
The Yellow Submarine are also unbeaten in their last two matches on the road having registered two consecutive wins.
What Is At Stake
Madrid are still placed second on the league standings and they cannot afford to drop more points as they are 12 points behind leaders FC Barcelona.
The defending champions will be keen to make it two wins in a row in order to put Barcelona under pressure.
While Villarreal are placed sixth on the league standings - four points behind fourth-placed Sociedad and they will be determined to secure a win which would boost their top four ambitions.
Team News
Ferland Mendy is the only player who is on Madrid's injury-list at the moment as the Frenchman nurses a muscle injury and Carlo Ancelotti's side have no suspension concerns.
Meanwhile, Villarreal will be without the suspended Nico Jackson and Francis Coquelin, who sustained a cruciate ligament rupture, is on the club's injury list.
Key Players
Karim Benzema will carry Madrid's hopes of defeating Villarreal with the French superstar having grabbed a hat-trick in the win over Valladolid.
On the other hand, Gerard Moreno is the player to watch out for in the Villarreal team having scored six goals in the league this season.
Image copyright: Getty Images
Quotes
"Today marks the beginning of the closing stretch of the season, I said as much to the players," Ancelotti said after their game against Valladolid.
"Last season, we were really struggling heading into this period but there's a very different feeling around the place this time, particularly given that clinical edge we almost always have up top has returned, having gone missing in recent games.
"The forwards were clinical and thanks to that, it was a fairly straightforward game. The four guys up top did everything that was asked of them with the ball in every sense, but there is room for improvement without the ball," he added.
"We work hard to generate mobility and breaks in the opposition defence. Karim hit three goals in seven minutes and showed he's in great shape. The work he's put in during the international break has really helped him".
Head-to-Head
Villarreal claimed a 2-1 win over Madrid in their last meeting in La Liga with the match taking place at the Estadio de la Ceràmica on 7 January 2023.
The win ended the Yellow Submarine's nine-match winless run in the league against the Whites.
Spanish La Liga fixture - April 7-9
Friday, April 7
21:00 - Sevilla FC v Celta Vigo
Saturday, April 8
14:00 - CA Osasuna v Elche CF
16:15 - RCD Espanyol v Athletic Bilbao
18:30 - Real Sociedad v Getafe CF
21:00 - Real Madrid v Villarreal CF
Sunday, April 9
14:00 - Real Valladolid v Real Mallorca
16:15 - Real Betis v Cadiz CF
18:30 - UD Almeria v Valencia CF
21:00 - Rayo Vallecano v Atletico Madrid
Monday, April 10
21:00 - FC Barcelona v Girona FC
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