Almeria vs Villarreal predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as Almeria look to build on a fine win last weekend.
| Date | Saturday 4th March 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 16:15 (CET) |
| Stadium | Power Horse Stadium |
| Competition | LaLiga Santander |
Almeria vs Villarreal Preview
Almeria and Villarreal meet in what could be an open game at the Power Horse Stadium this weekend. Almeria are fresh from a surprise win over Barcelona while Villarreal also picked up a morale boosting three points last time out.
The contrast between Almeria at home and Almeria away, can be summed up nicely by their last two performances and results – a 6-2 loss at Girona followed by a 1-0 win at home over the league leaders. Only 2 teams have collected more home points than the Andalusian side this term in LaLiga, but nobody has picked up fewer on the road with Rubi yet to find any real solutions to his team’s away day blues.
That being said, last weekend’s upset was still far from an anticipated result as Almeria had only actually defeated one current top half team at home in LaLiga 2022/23 prior to Barcelona’s visit. The likes of Real Madrid, Osasuna, Betis and Real Sociedad have all won here and while they looked much more assured defensively last time out, this is still an Almeria side that is often guilty of charitable defending which Villarreal’s forwards will be hoping to take advantage of.
The star for the Yellow Submarine on Monday night was Samu Chukwueze whose goal and assist capped a lively performance as Villarreal came from a goal down to beat Getafe 2-1. Their forwardline should be further boosted here by the return to fitness of Gerard Moreno who is likely to return to the XI if 100% given his importance to this side, despite Jose Luis Morales getting on the scoresheet in each of Villarreal’s last two outings.
There was a noticeably flat atmosphere at the Ceramica for that match. There is clearly a bit of a disconnect right now at Villarreal, understandable to some extent given the highs of the previous two seasons on the European stage. There is also still a sense that Quique Setien is battling to win hearts and minds with 4 straight league defeats prior to the Getafe win, doing little to suggest it’s a battle he will ultimately win.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Almeria
| INJURED | |
| DOUBTFUL | Melero |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Fernando – Akieme, Babic, Ely, Chumi – Robertone, Samu, De La Hoz, Baptistao – Toure, Luis Suarez (4-4-2)
Coach: Rubi
Villarreal
| INJURED | Coquelin, Jackson |
| DOUBTFUL | Pino, Lo Celso, Jorgensen |
| BANNED | Trigueros |
Possible XI: Reina – Moreno, Torres, Albiol, Foyth – Capoue, Parejo, Baena – Yeremi, Gerard Moreno, Chukwueze (4-3-3)
Coach: Quique Setien
Score Prediction: Almeria 2-3 Villarreal
We do sometimes see teams struggle to back things up a week after a big, emotional win, like the one Almeria had last weekend against Barcelona. Their relatively positive style may also actually do Villarreal a few favours here with the Yellow Submarine often better when teams try to attack them and there’s every chance we’ll see an open game here with Gerard Moreno’s return perhaps tilting it in the away team’s favour.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga match predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
