Arbeloa and his squad face a tough test this weekend, as they travel to the Estadio de la Cerámica.
There is a huge match coming up near the top of the table in LALIGA EA SPORTS, as third-placed Villarreal CF host second-placed Real Madrid. Both teams are still in the title race, with Los Blancos trailing FC Barcelona by just one point while El Submarino Amarillo are eight points behind but with one game in hand. That makes this a very important fixture in Matchday 21. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
For new Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa, this will be his fourth game in charge and his second in LALIGA EA SPORTS. After suffering Copa del Rey elimination at Albacete Balompié in his debut, Arbeloa’s team overcame Levante UD 2-0 at home in Matchday 20 before turning in a brilliant performance in a 6-1 victory over Monaco in the Champions League on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius and Jude Bellingham all got on the scoresheet in that midweek game, so they’ll hope to keep up that scoring form.
As for Villarreal CF, they lost to Real Betis in LALIGA EA SPORTS last weekend and then suffered a midweek loss to Ajax in the Champions League, so they’ll be desperate to bounce back in this game against Real Madrid. Marcelino’s men put together their best first half of a LALIGA EA SPORTS season in their history, but they know they need to finish the job if they want to make this a truly historic campaign.
A fixture of many goals
Besides the importance of this match in terms of the title race, this also promises to be a very entertaining game. Matches between Villarreal CF and Real Madrid have produced a lot of goals of late.
Their past eight meetings have all had multiple goals, with 35 scored across those games for an average of 4.4 goals per game. That includes a 4-4 draw at the Estadio de la Cerámica two seasons ago and a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid last season, in which Mbappé bagged a brace.
Real Madrid have had the better of this fixture in recent times, winning the past three meetings. It was a 3-1 win for Los Blancos at the Bernabéu when they met in the first half of the 2025/26 campaign. That was back in October, with Vinícius scoring twice and Mbappé once for the club from the capital.
Pape Gueye returns as a Senegalese hero
This is expected to be Pape Gueye’s first game back since winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. The Villarreal CF midfielder scored the winning goal in the final against Morocco, a brilliant strike to the top corner, and has been celebrating the triumph with his national team. Over the whole tournament, Gueye scored three goals. So, he’ll hope to keep up that scoring form when he returns to action with El Submarino Amarillo.
His two goals for his club so far this season came back in August and September, so it has been a while since the fans at the Estadio de la Cerámica celebrated a Gueye goal. Even if he doesn’t find the back of the net, his performances in central midfield have been vital all season long, for club and country, so he’ll absolutely be one to watch in this game.
Braim Díaz is also expected to form part of the Real Madrid squad, and will look to get back to winning ways after missing a penalty in that Africa Cup of Nations final. He was the top scorer of AFCON 2025, with five total goals, so could be a useful option for Arbeloa.
It really should be a fascinating encounter, as these two excellent teams go head to head. It all kicks off at 21:00 CET on Saturday night, and football fans from around the world will tune in.
