One team battling for the LALIGA title and another chasing a return to Europe

This LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchday 21 fixture should be fascinating, with two quality teams seeking all three points as they pursue different objectives.

Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal CF will face off this Saturday January 25th at 16:15 CET, in an important LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchday 21 fixture at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Los Colchoneros are looking to get back to winning ways in order to remain in the title race, while Los Amarillos are fighting to qualify for European competition, with the Champions League spot currently occupied by Athletic Club still within their sights. Both clubs have had a good start to the season and want to keep up their strong form.

This game arrives at an important stage of the season for both clubs. Atlético de Madrid’s winning streak has just been halted at 15 in a row, with the team having lost 1-0 at CD Leganés at the Estadio Butarque last weekend. Los Colchoneros had many chances in that game, but weren’t clinical in front of goal. On the other hand, El Submarino Amarillo just enjoyed one of their best games of the season, thrashing RCD Mallorca 4-0 by scoring all four goals in the opening half hour.

Past meetings between these two teams have often been a lot of fun, with lots of goals and action. That makes sense, as these are two squads packed with quality players, especially in attack, with the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Julián Álvarez, Alexander Sørloth, Álex Baena, Ayoze Pérez and Gerard Moreno, among others. The last meeting between these two sides came in the opening round of this season, when they played out a thrilling 2-2 draw.

Simeone v Marcelino: Two top tacticians

The two coaches in this game, Diego Simeone and Marcelino García Toral, have a lot of similarities and a lot of differences too. They’ve each used a 4-4-2 formation a lot this season, with one winger playing openly and another operating more as a midfielder moving inside. It’s usually Giuliano Simeone and Yeremi Pino who are the wide wingers, while Connor Gallagher and Álex Baena are the ones who come inside to offer support in the centre.

Atlético de Madrid’s 4-4-2 also has nuances in terms of how deep or forward the members of the midfield four play, with Pablo Barrios dropping to receive the ball and with Rodrigo De Paul able to operate closer to the box, where he can show his quality and support Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann, who also drops into midfield on occasion to help out.

Out wide, Atleti tend to have Giuliano Simeone playing close to the touchline on one side, looking to combine with Marcos Llorente or Nahuel Molina, while the other flank, down the left, has more space out wide, for Javi Galán to advance into.

Meanwhile, Villarreal CF also have an asymmetrical system, with players moving into different areas of the pitch at different times. For example, when one player drops to receive the ball, such as Dani Parejo, another can move to try to establish himself between the lines, for example Santi Comesaña.

As for the forwards, the tactics depend a lot on who Marcelino selects. For example, in recent matches, Pape Gueye has been deployed much further forward, with Thierno Barry leading the line. Then there’s the option of Gerard Moreno, who prefers to play closer to the midfield and set up the attacks of his strike partners. There’s also Ayoze Perez or Nicolas Pepé, who tends to play in more space, taking advantage of the passes from the players behind him.

Eight draws in the past 15 meetings between these sides

Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal CF often end up sharing the spoils when they meet, as eight of their past 15 meetings, which is 53 per cent, have finished up as a draw. As for the other seven games, Atlético de Madrid have won five times and Villarreal CF twice.

On their past five visits to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, El Submarino Amarillo have lost just once, while there have been three draws and one away win. That away win came on 21st August 2022, when Villarreal CF surprised their hosts by triumphing 2-0. Then, last season, Atleti did enjoy a victory in this fixture, winning 3-1.

Antoine Griezmann and Julián Álvarez v Álex Baena and Ayoze Pérez

Both these teams can create dangerous opportunities at any given moment. In the case of Atlético de Madrid, Antoine Griezmann and Julián Álvarez have scored 13 goals between them this LALIGA EA SPORTS season (it’s seven goals and four assists for the Frenchman and six goals and two assists for the Argentinian). That’s the same numbers as Villarreal CF’s front two, who also have 13 goals (it’s eight goals for Ayoze Pérez and five goals and five assists for Baena).

Furthermore, both Atlético de Madrid and Villarreal CF have a natural goalscorer in their ranks, in the form of Alexander Sørloth and Thierno Barry, who have scored eight and seven league goals respectively. These are two penalty box predators and, in fact, Los Colchoneros missed the Norwegian forward when he couldn’t play in their loss at CD Leganés. This week, both should be available and either could make the difference, along with the rest of the stars on show. This Matchday 21 fixture at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is certainly a big one in LALIGA EA SPORTS.