Atletico Madrid tipped at 1.75 to overcome Villarreal in LaLiga showdown

Atletico de Madrid will be looking to make it two wins from two in LaLiga when they host Villarreal at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday, 23 August 2026. The match, scheduled for 15:00 GMT, has been assessed by Mahamad Sangare, presenter of the sports debate programme La VAR on Burkina info TV, with the home side priced at 1.75 in the prediction for victory.

Diego Simeone’s team began the campaign with a 2-0 home win against promoted Malaga on 19 August. Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena scored the goals that secured Atletico’s first three points, while their defensive performance provided a strong foundation.

The main concern for the Madrid club is whether they can add greater attacking fluency. Julian Alvarez was not involved against Malaga after returning late from his post-World Cup holiday, although he has since resumed training following the collapse of negotiations between Atletico and Barcelona. His possible return to the squad would provide additional weight in attack. Alexander Sørloth, who scored 13 times last season, is injured.

Ademola Lookman, formerly of Atalanta, and Giuliano Simeone are expected to carry much of the attacking responsibility in the meantime.

Atletico have also seen considerable movement in their squad during the summer. Clement Lenglet has joined Benfica, Ruggeri has moved to Aston Villa, Almada has returned to River Plate, while the club’s all-time leading scorer Antoine Griezmann has left for Orlando City. Nahuel Molina has also departed for AS Roma.

The incoming players include Cristian Romero from Tottenham, Lee Kang-in from Paris Saint-Germain, Morten Hjulmand from Sporting and Alejandro Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen.

Villarreal recovering from slow start

Villarreal opened their league campaign with an entertaining 2-2 draw away to Racing Santander. The Yellow Submarine fell two goals behind but responded before half-time through Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe.

That comeback reflected the attacking promise shown during pre-season. Villarreal defeated PSV Eindhoven 3-1, Levante 1-0 and Galatasaray 2-1 in Istanbul. Across seven preparation matches, they recorded five wins, one draw and one defeat.

Their squad has undergone fewer changes than Atletico’s, although Dani Parejo, Ramon Terrats, Rafa Marin and Alfonso Gonzalez have all left. Goalkeepers Arnau Tenas and Diego Conde have departed on loan, while Thiago Fernandez has also joined Levante temporarily.

Peter Gulacsi and Eze Chukwuma have arrived as additions. Villarreal had no major absences for their opening match at Santander, and Pepe and Gueye immediately made an impact by scoring the team’s goals.

Recent meetings suggest this fixture can produce an open contest. Atletico won the first meeting last season 2-0 at home, but Villarreal responded with a emphatic 5-1 victory in the final matchday encounter. Across the past five meetings, Atletico have two wins, Villarreal have one and two games have ended level.

Six of the teams’ past seven matches have seen both sides score. Atletico’s home advantage and opening-day victory make them favourites, while Villarreal’s forward play gives them a realistic chance of finding the net again. Prediction models still give the Colchoneros the edge, although the Yellow Submarine’s 5-1 success in the most recent meeting underlines their ability to score at least once.

Odds may change.