Real Madrid v Villarreal: Mourinho under pressure to halt Liga slide

Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways in La Liga when they host Villarreal on Saturday, with manager Jose Mourinho already under pressure after his side fell six points behind leaders FC Barcelona.

The Merengues are fourth after seven matches, having collected 15 points. Villarreal are ninth on eight points, with two wins, two draws and three defeats.

Real Madrid have lost two of their past four league games, including the Madrid derby against Atletico before the international break. Although there have been encouraging moments this season, Barcelona’s outstanding form has left Mourinho with little room for error.

A demanding run of fixtures awaits Real Madrid before the end of October. Their schedule includes Champions League meetings with Roma and RB Leipzig, as well as league games against Villarreal, FC Seville and FC Barcelona.

Real Madrid have lost only six of their 55 meetings with Villarreal and have won the past four encounters. Villarreal did, however, claim a 3-2 league victory at the Santiago Bernabeu in April 2023.

The visitors began the season disappointingly and have already suffered four defeats in all competitions. They have since responded with two successive victories, beating Malaga 3-1 on 17 September before defeating Levante by the same score three days later.

Villarreal will also return to the Champions League, facing Napoli next week before travelling to Anfield to play Liverpool on 20 October. Their remaining October programme includes league matches against Elche, Valence and Espanyol, plus a Copa del Rey tie against Manacor.

Real Madrid’s recent form is: La Liga V, V, D, V, V, D; all competitions V, D, V, V, V, D. Villarreal’s form is: La Liga N, D, D, D, V, V; all competitions D, D, D, D, V, V.

Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate are expected to start after recovering from knee injuries suffered during the international break. Federico Valverde faces a late fitness test for an ankle problem sustained in the derby and remains a major doubt.

Eder Militao, who has a muscle injury, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Raul Asencio are unavailable, while Dean Huijsen is suspended. Aurelien Tchouameni and Bernardo Silva could form the midfield pairing, with Arda Guler also expected to start.

Tajon Buchanan is Villarreal’s only confirmed absentee because of a hamstring injury. Ayoze Perez and Georges Mikautadze both scored in the previous match, and Mikautadze could be selected from the beginning. Santi Comesana is fit again and Nicolas Pepe may replace Buchanan.

The predicted teams are:

Real Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Rudiger, Carreras; Tchouameni, Bernardo; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe.

Villarreal: Gulacsi; Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Cardona; Comesana, Gueye; Akhomach, Moleiro, Pepe; Mikautadze.

Villarreal should be capable of scoring, but Real Madrid are expected to secure the three points.

The suggested selections are Real Madrid to win and fewer than 5.5 goals at 1.63, Arda Guler to score or assist at 1.72, and Jude Bellingham to score or assist at 1.95.