Villarreal vs Atletico – News and Probable Lineups

On Sunday evening, Villarreal will face Atletico Madrid in the concluding fixture of the 2025-26 La Liga season, with the third position at stake.

The host team currently occupies third place in the La Liga standings, sharing points with Atletico in fourth; the visitors need only a draw at Estadio de la Ceramica to surpass their rivals.

Match overview

Villarreal appeared to have secured third place when they triumphed over Levante 5-1 at the beginning of May. However, the Yellow Submarine has only garnered a single point from their last three matches, drawing against Mallorca before succumbing to defeats against Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano.

As it stands, Marcelino’s team remains in third place, and a victory over Atletico would ensure they finish there; however, a draw or defeat would allow Diego Simeone’s squad to leapfrog them.

Should the match end in a draw, head-to-head records would matter, wherein Atletico previously triumphed 2-0 against Villarreal during the match in Madrid earlier in the season. Villarreal’s current third position in the table is due to head-to-head points not being active until all encounters between the two sides are concluded.

Regardless of whether they finish third or fourth, it has been a commendable season for the Yellow Submarine, though there will be a managerial change this summer with Marcelino set to depart; reports suggest that Inigo Perez from Rayo Vallecano will take over his role.

With the fourth-best home record in La Liga this season, having amassed 43 points from 18 home games, Villarreal will aim to conclude the season positively.

For Atletico, as noted, a draw will suffice for them to clinch third place, yet it has been a disappointing league campaign for the Red and Whites, far from challenging for the title.

Simeone’s squad has recorded 21 wins, six draws, and 10 losses across their 37 league matches this season, accumulating 69 points, which places them 25 points behind the champions, Barcelona.

Recently, Atletico narrowly missed out on the Champions League final against Arsenal in the semi-finals and fell to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final, making for a tough stretch for the club.

Entering this fixture, Simeone’s team comes off a 1-0 win against Girona, aiming to finish the season strong with three consecutive victories, having also defeated Osasuna on May 12.

Historically, Atletico has faced Villarreal 49 times, edging the head-to-head with 17 wins compared to Villarreal’s 16, and with their encounters ending in a draw 16 times.

Villarreal La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid La Liga form:

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Atletico Madrid form (all competitions):

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Team News

Villarreal will again be without Pau Cabanes and Juan Foyth on Sunday due to injuries, although Renato Veiga will return to the squad after serving a suspension.

Head coach Marcelino made several adjustments to his lineup for the last match against Rayo Vallecano, but key players such as Luiz Junior, Georges Mikautadze, Gerard Moreno, Dani Parejo, and Nicolas Pepe are expected to return for the matchup with Atletico.

Ayoze Perez has faced fitness challenges this season, having netted only three times in league play, and is anticipated to start this match on the bench.

For Atletico, Rodrigo Mendoza, Nahuel Molina, and Johnny Cardoso are certainly unavailable due to injuries, while Jose Gimenez, Julian Alvarez, Nico Gonzalez, and Pablo Barrios are major doubts.

Marcos Llorente will rejoin the squad after serving a suspension against Girona, but Robin Le Normand will miss out this weekend due to a ban.

This fixture will also mark the farewell of Antoine Griezmann, as the veteran forward is set to leave Atletico for MLS side Orlando City.

Villarreal probable starting XI:

Luiz Junior; Mourino, Veiga, Marin, Pedraza; Pepe, Parejo, Gueye, Miller; G Moreno, Mikautadze

Atletico Madrid probable starting XI:

Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Baena, Koke, Almada; Lookman, Griezmann, Simeone

A draw would suffice for Atletico to secure third place based on the head-to-head record, and we anticipate that Simeone’s team will manage to secure at least a point in their last match of the season.