Eibar vs Villarreal match preview and predictions for Sunday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as two out of form teams clash.
| Date | Sunday 14th March 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 18:30 (local time) |
| Stadium | Ipurua |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Eibar vs Villarreal Preview
The penultimate game on Sunday in LaLiga comes from Ipurua and it will have an impact on both the relegation battle and the race for European places. Neither Eibar nor Villarreal have won any of their last 8 LaLiga games so victory here for either really would be significant in potentially getting their campaigns back on track.
According to xPTS (via Understat), it may surprise a few people to note that Eibar rank 10th in LaLiga heading into this weekend. That’s 8 places higher than their actual position and there’s a risk, albeit a small one given Huesca travel to Camp Nou, that they could finish the matchday bottom of the table.
It’s not just the failure to win matches of late that will concern José Luis Mendilibar but it’s the kind of games that have come and gone without Eibar registering three points. Their last five games have been against Osasuna, Real Valladolid, Elche, Huesca and Cadiz. A total return of just two points from those fixtures is deeply concerning and leaves them needing to upset some of the bigger clubs if they are going to pull themselves out of trouble.
Fortunately for Eibar, they do tend to do well in this fixture and Villarreal’s league form is just as miserable as theirs. They’ve not won since thumping Celta 4-0 in Vigo in early January. It’s just one point from four games for Villarreal and not only have they fallen out of top four contention but have slipped below Betis into 7th which may not be good enough for European qualification come the end of the campaign.
Despite their domestic troubles, Villarreal have actually been very impressive in the Europa League since the turn of the year. They won both legs against RB Salzburg and now have one foot in the Quarter-Finals having won 2-0 away to Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday. Goals from centre-backs Pau Torres and Raul Albiol sealed the win and they don’t really need to worry too much about resting players with the 2nd Leg of that tie in mind given the superiority they showed in the first match.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 3 Villarreal Wins, 2 Eibar Wins, 1 Draw.
- Eibar have won 3 of the last 4 meetings at Ipurua.
- Villarreal have only collected one point on this ground since a 2-1 win in April 2016.
- Villarreal were 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture earlier this term.
Team News
Pedro Bigas is out injured for the hosts while Rober Correa is a doubt.
Raul Albiol is suspended for Villarreal who also have doubts over Pau Torres, Fer Nino and Ruben Pena.
Predicted Eibar Starting Lineup:
Dmitrovic – Cote, Arbilla, Oliveira, Pozo – Gil, Exposito, Diop, Leon – Enrich, Garcia (4-4-2)
Predicted Villarreal Starting Lineup:
Asenjo – Pedraza, Funes Mori, Foyth, Mario – Gomez, Capoue, Parejo – Chukwueze, Alcacer, Gerard (4-3-3)
Eibar vs Villarreal Predictions
LaLiga Expert Predicts: Eibar 2-2 Villarreal (follow us on Tipstrr to view our betting tips)
It feels as though both sides have forgotten how to win league matches. You really do have to worry for an Eibar side that has the worst home record in LaLiga. However they may just be able to take advantage of some fatigue amongst the visiting team who made a long trip to Ukraine on Thursday and Villarreal, who are the division’s draw specialists, may have to settle for a point again here, particularly with selection problems in central defence.
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