Real Madrid target Villarreal victory as Mourinho and Mbappe records take centre stage

Real Madrid host Villarreal at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday in the eighth round of La Liga, with the home side seeking to extend a dominant recent record against the visitors.

Real Madrid have avoided defeat in their past six league meetings with Villarreal, winning five and drawing one. They have also won the last four in a row, their best run in this fixture since October 2011, when they recorded five successive victories.

Their home form has been equally strong. Real Madrid have won their last six league matches at Santiago Bernabeu and have scored four goals in each of their previous four home games, a feat they had not achieved since February 2016.

However, Real Madrid have made a relatively uneven start to the 2026-2027 season, losing two of their opening seven matches. That matches their number of defeats at the same stage of the 2014-2015 campaign under Carlo Ancelotti.

Jose Mourinho has never lost against Villarreal in La Liga. In four meetings, his teams have won three and drawn one, while both of his home matches against them ended in victory. Those games produced seven goals for his side and two against.

Kylian Mbappe has also enjoyed facing Villarreal, scoring five times in four La Liga appearances against them. Only Real Sociedad, against whom he has scored seven goals, have conceded more to him.

Villarreal’s away record in this fixture is poor. They have lost 18 of their 26 league trips to Real Madrid, alongside two wins and six draws. It is the highest number of away defeats they have suffered against any opponent in the history of the competition.

The visitors arrive with renewed confidence after a difficult opening. Villarreal failed to win any of their first five matches, drawing two and losing three, but have since won their last two. Their only longer winning run was a sequence of six victories between October and December 2025.

Their attacking numbers suggest they have created enough opportunities for an even stronger return. Villarreal have the third-highest expected-goals total in La Liga this season at 16.5, behind Barcelona on 28.5 and Real Madrid on 18.5. They have scored 13 goals, however, leaving them 3.5 below their expected figure.

Alberto Moleiro scored once and provided two assists against Levante in the previous round. At 22 years and 355 days, he became the youngest Spanish player in Villarreal’s history to contribute to three goals in a La Liga match since Alex Baena in April 2024.

Villarreal manager Inigo Perez is still searching for a first league win over Real Madrid. His five matches against them have brought three draws and two defeats. He has the same number of games without a victory against Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, although the results in those fixtures have been different.