Real Madrid vs Villarreal Prediction & Preview - LaLiga

9 October 2026·3 min read·By Denver

Our Real Madrid vs Villarreal prediction for Saturday's LaLiga match at the Santiago Bernabéu, with form, team news and a scoreline call.

Twelve points against six from the last six matches apiece - that is the distance between Real Madrid and Villarreal before they meet in LaLiga at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on Saturday, 10 October 2026, kick-off 20:00 BST. Real Madrid have won four of those six. Villarreal have lost four, although their two most recent matches were both won 3-1.

Fixture: Real Madrid vs Villarreal
Competition: LaLiga
Date: Saturday, 10 October 2026
Kick-off: 20:00 BST
Venue: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Real Madrid's form before Villarreal

Real Madrid have won four, drawn none and lost two of their last six matches, taking 12 points while scoring 14 and conceding 7, the most recent of them a 1-2 defeat away to Atlético Madrid on 20 September 2026.

At home in that run they beat Málaga CF 4-0, Inter 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League and Rayo Vallecano 4-1. Both defeats came on the road, 0-1 at Real Betis on 4 September 2026 and the derby loss at Atlético. The one away win was a scrappy 3-2 at Elche.

So the shape of this team is not complicated. Emphatic at the Bernabéu, distinctly gettable away from it.

How have Villarreal been playing?

Villarreal have won two, drawn none and lost four of their last six matches, taking 6 points with 11 scored and 11 conceded, and their most recent result was a 3-1 home win over Levante UD on 20 September 2026.

The four defeats came first and came in a block. Villarreal lost 0-1 away to Deportivo Alavés on 28 August 2026, then lost 2-3 at home to Deportivo de A Coruña, then lost 2-3 away to Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League, then lost 1-2 at home to Real Betis on 14 September 2026. The recovery was a 3-1 win away at Málaga CF followed by Levante.

Eleven conceded in six is the figure that shadows this trip.

Team news for Real Madrid vs Villarreal

Real Madrid are without the suspended Dean Huijsen and carry a long injury list into the Villarreal match, while Villarreal's chief doubt is Tajon Buchanan. Huijsen serves a ban after a red card against Atlético Madrid, and Rodrygo (ACL and meniscus), Raúl Asencio (tibia stress fracture, operated on 1 October), Éder Militão and Ferland Mendy are all listed as unavailable, with Buchanan and Santi Comesaña the Villarreal names in question, per Rotowire.

There is better news higher up the pitch. Real Madrid expect Kylian Mbappé, Ibrahima Konaté and Federico Valverde to be available on Saturday, according to COPE's Melchor Ruiz as reported by Get Spanish Football News.

José Mourinho takes charge of Real Madrid and Iñigo Pérez of Villarreal, with Ilias Akhomach a further fitness concern for the visitors, as set out by Khel Now.

What decides Real Madrid vs Villarreal

This fixture turns on Real Madrid's home scoring against a defence that has shipped 11 goals in six. Madrid have put four past two different sides at the Bernabéu inside this run, and Villarreal's back line was beaten three times by Deportivo de A Coruña and three times by Dortmund.

Villarreal will score, though. Both wins in the run were 3-1 and they have 11 goals of their own, which is why this is not a clean-sheet kind of night. If you follow the full LaLiga weekend, the live match list carries every fixture open for calls.

Real Madrid vs Villarreal prediction

Our prediction is a Real Madrid win over Villarreal in LaLiga at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday, 10 October 2026, by 2-1. Real Madrid's three home matches in this run brought three wins and 14 goals across the six, while Villarreal arrive having lost four of six and conceded 11.

The caveat is real: Madrid have lost twice in six, both away, and Villarreal are not short of goals themselves. One for the visitors, two for the hosts.

Our prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal

Make your prediction

Call the scoreline yourself on the Real Madrid vs Villarreal match page before 20:00 BST on Saturday. CalledItMate is a free football prediction game - no stake of any kind - and how to play takes about a minute to read. Accurate calls climb the weekly leaderboard, where you can win real cash predicting football, with the current figures on the prizes page.