La Liga, Round 8Real MadridREA 10/10/2026 20:00 VillarrealVIL Venue Santiago Bernabu StadiumPreview for Real Madrid v VillarrealJos Mourinho has had three weeks to stew on the Madrid derby, and judging by his Friday press conference, he hasnt enjoyed a single minute of it. Real Madrid return to La Liga action against Villarreal on Saturday night needing a response, and needing to stop the gap to leaders Barcelona from growing any further. Madrid sit fourth with 15 points from seven games, six behind Hansi Flicks Barca side. Two league defeats already, to Real Betis and then 2-1 at Atltico Madrid on September 20, have taken some of the shine off Mourinhos return. The positives are there for Madrid. They have won all three of their home league games so far, scoring 12 and conceding just two, and they bounced back from the derby with a 5-0 thrashing of Kairat Almaty in the Champions League. They are also unbeaten in their last nine La Liga games at the Bernabu.The build-up, though, has been dominated by Kylian Mbapp. The Frenchman came home early from France duty with a knee problem after scoring the winner against Turkey, and his activities during the break were then picked apart in the Spanish press. Mourinho was having none of it. He called the coverage ridiculous, and made his position clear: Kylian Mbapp is going to play. He wont even be on the bench. Hes going to play.Villarreal arrive in much better spirits than they started the season. igo Prez, who replaced Marcelino in the summer, endured a nightmare opening, failing to win any of his first five league games and losing to Borussia Dortmund on the Champions League opening night. But two straight wins before the break, the last a 3-1 victory over Levante, have lifted them to ninth on eight points, and Mourinho was quick to describe them as a Champions League team, a top-level team that will finish much higher than where they are now.History is firmly on Madrids side. Villarreal have won just twice in 27 visits to the Bernabu, and Madrid won the last meeting between the sides 2-0.The La Liga Table La Liga 2026 Spain #TeamPlayedWonDrawnLostGFGAGDPtsLast 5 1 Barcelona77003172421 W W W W W 2 Atletico Madrid7511167916 W W W L W 3 Real Betis751197216 D W W W L 4 Real Madrid75021881015 L W W L W 5 Sevilla7412109113 L W W D L 6 Alaves7322116511 D L L W W 7 Deportivo La Coruna7241108210 D L D W W 8 Real Sociedad7313913-410 W L W D W 9 Villarreal7223131218 W W L L L 10 Athletic Club62227618 D D W W L 11 Getafe722347-38 W L D D L 12 Rayo Vallecano72231116-58 D W L W L 13 Osasuna7223613-78 D L L L W 14 Celta Vigo71428627 W D D D L 15 Espanyol7214101007 L L W D L 16 Racing Santander72141121-107 L L W L W 17 Levante6123812-45 L L D W D 18 Elche71241117-65 W L D L L 19 Valencia7115413-94 L W L L L 20 Malaga7034312-93 L L D D L Position 1, 2, 3, 4 : Champions League league stage Position 5 : Europa League league stage Position 6 : ECL Playoffs Position 18, 19, 20 : Relegation Team News for Real Madrid v VillarrealMbapp is fit and will start after Real Madrids own diagnosis and an external specialists second opinion matched up. Mourinho explained that because of the history with Mbapps knee, the club wanted to be thorough.Federico Valverde is the main doubt. The Uruguayan suffered a grade three ankle sprain after a heavy challenge from Lee Kang-in in the derby and missed the Uruguay squad as a result. Federico Valverde is the doubt. der Milit�o, unfortunately, is not a doubt, he wont be there, Mourinho said. Milit�o is still a couple of weeks away, so he will also miss the trip to Roma and the Sevilla game next week.Dean Huijsen is suspended after being sent off against Atletico. Ral Asencio is out for the rest of 2026 after surgery on a stress fracture in his tibia, while Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are still working their way back from injuries carried over from last season. On the plus side, Ibrahima Konat has recovered from his knee sprain and should partner Antonio Rdiger at centre-back.For Villarreal, Tajon Buchanan is out with a hamstring injury picked up on international duty with Canada. Nicolas Pp is expected to take his place on the wing. Santi Comesaa and Juan Foyth are both back in full training after shaking off knocks, while Ilias Akhomach is fit after a scare with Morocco. Expected line-ups for Real Madrid v VillarrealReal Madrid: Courtois; Dumfries, Konat, Rdiger, Cucurella; Tchouamni, Bernardo Silva; Gler, Bellingham, Vincius Jr; MbappVillarreal: Gulcsi; Mourio, Navarro, Veiga, Cardona; Pp, Comesaa, Gueye, Moleiro; Perez, MikautadzeRecent Form & Stats for Real Madrid v VillarrealReal Madrid are fourth with 15 points from seven games, six points behind leaders BarcelonaMadrid have won all three of their home league games this season, scoring 12 goals and conceding twoReal Madrid are unbeaten in their last nine La Liga matches at the BernabuMadrid lost 2-1 to Atltico Madrid in their last league game but responded with a 5-0 Champions League win at Kairat AlmatyVillarreal are ninth with eight points and have won their last two league games, most recently 3-1 against LevanteVillarreal have scored in six of their seven La Liga matches this seasonReal Madrid have won 19 of their 27 home meetings with Villarreal, with Villarreal winning only twiceReal Madrid won the most recent meeting between the sides 2-0 Recent Results : Real Madrid La Liga Atletico Madrid ATM L 2 1 2026-09-20 Real Madrid REA La Liga Elche ELC W 2 3 2026-09-15 Real Madrid REA La Liga Real Madrid REA W 4 1 2026-09-12 Rayo Vallecano RAY UEFA Champions League Real Madrid REA W 2 1 2026-09-08 Inter INT La Liga Real Betis BET L 1 0 2026-09-04 Real Madrid REA Recent Results : Villarreal La Liga Villarreal VIL W 3 1 2026-09-20 Levante LEV La Liga Malaga MAL W 1 3 2026-09-17 Villarreal VIL La Liga Villarreal VIL L 1 2 2026-09-14 Real Betis BET UEFA Champions League Borussia Dortmund DOR L 3 2 2026-09-08 Villarreal VIL La Liga Villarreal VIL L 2 3 2026-09-05 Deportivo La Coruna COR Where to Watch Real Madrid v Villarreal: TV and online streamsReal Madrid versus Villarreal kicks off at8pm BST on Saturday October 10, at the Santiago Bernabu.In the UK, it will be shown on Disney+. In Spain, the game is live on Movistar LaLiga and Orange TV.Heres the full list ofLa Liga international broadcasters.Prediction for Real Madrid v VillarrealIts unlikely to be straightforward but Madrids attacking riches mean they are hard to back against. Villarreal will be dangerous but dont be surprised if Mbappe answers the critics with the winner. Match PredictionReal Madrid 2 1 Villarreal Topics Real Madrid CF Villarreal CF If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read He was not doing the Tour of Switzerland! 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