Racing Santander vs Villarreal Prediction & Preview - LaLiga
Real Racing Club host Villarreal at El Sardinero on Sunday 16 August 2026, kicking off at 16:00 BST as LaLiga's new season gets going. It's the first meeting between the two clubs in our records, and it pits a Racing side back in the top flight after 14 years away against a Villarreal team that ended last season with a thumping win at Atlético Madrid.
- Fixture: Real Racing Club v Villarreal
- Competition: LaLiga
- Date: Sunday, 16 August 2026
- Kick-off: 16:00 BST
- Venue: El Sardinero, Santander
Real Racing Club vs Villarreal head-to-head
There is no previous meeting between Real Racing Club and Villarreal in our archive. Sunday's game at El Sardinero is the first recorded fixture between the two clubs, so there's no head-to-head record to draw on going in.
Recent form for Real Racing Club and Villarreal
Real Racing Club won last season's Segunda División title to earn promotion, but their form since has been mixed against senior opposition:
- 7 August: lost 7-8 to Deportivo Alavés
- 7 August: beat Sporting Gijón 4-1
- 1 August: lost 3-0 to Wolverhampton
- 29 July: lost 0-3 to Athletic Club
- 24 July: lost 2-0 to Osasuna
Villarreal's recent results read better:
- 8 August: beat Galatasaray 2-1
- 25 July: beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1
- 24 May: beat Atlético Madrid 5-1, their last LaLiga fixture
- 17 May: lost 2-0 to Rayo Vallecano
Racing have shipped seven, three and three goals in three of their last five outings. Villarreal go into the new campaign unbeaten in their two summer friendlies and finished the last LaLiga season with a five-goal haul away at Atlético Madrid.
Team news for Real Racing Club vs Villarreal
Sergio Canales has returned to Real Racing Club on a deal running to 2028. Giorgi Guliashvili is unavailable through injury, and both Andrés Martín and Iñigo Vicente have missed full training this week with knocks.
Villarreal go into the game under new manager Íñigo Pérez, who replaced Marcelino García Toral at the end of last season. Captain Juan Foyth is still out as he recovers from an Achilles tendon rupture, with his return currently expected around the end of August.
Real Racing Club vs Villarreal prediction
Villarreal to win at El Sardinero is the call for this LaLiga meeting between Real Racing Club and Villarreal. Racing's defence has looked open in preseason, conceding eight against Alavés and three apiece against Wolverhampton and Athletic Club, and they're without Guliashvili with two more players short of full training. Villarreal, even with a new manager in charge, ended last season with a five-goal win at Atlético Madrid and have won both of their friendlies since.
Our prediction: Real Racing Club 1-2 Villarreal
Make your prediction
You can call your own score for this one on the Real Racing Club vs Villarreal match page. CalledItMate is a free football prediction game, so there's no cost to enter, and correct calls put you in the running to win real cash through the season. New to it? Check how to play before you predict football scores and see where you'd sit on the leaderboard.