Match Info

Competition: La Liga — Gameweek 2

Date: August 23, 2026

Time: 16:00 (GMT+1)

Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano

Atletico Madrid Preview

Atletico Madrid will be looking to make it two wins from two when they welcome Villarreal to the Spanish capital. Diego Simeone's side began the new campaign with a 2-0 victory over Malaga, with late goals from Lee Kang-in and Alex Baena securing the points after a relatively subdued performance. Atletico finished fourth last season, three points behind Villarreal, so this fixture provides an early opportunity to close the gap on one of their direct rivals from the previous campaign. The summer arrivals of Cristian Romero, Morten Hjulmand, Kang-in Lee and Alejandro Grimaldo have added further quality, although Julian Alvarez remains a major talking point amid continued speculation over his future. Alvarez is not expected to start, while Alexander Sorloth is also a doubt.

Villarreal Preview

Villarreal travel to Madrid after being held to a 2-2 draw by Racing Santander in their opening league fixture. The Yellow Submarine had to recover from two goals down to rescue a point, underlining both their attacking threat and defensive vulnerability. Having finished third in La Liga last season, Villarreal have Champions League football to look forward to this term and will be determined to demonstrate that their impressive 2025-26 campaign was no one-off. Inigo Perez has taken over as head coach, while the club have so far made only one major summer signing in goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Nicolas Pepe scored in the opening match and should retain his place, while Gerard Moreno could return to the starting XI. Alassane Diatta is suspended.

Probable Lineups

Atletico Madrid (4-2-3-1)

Oblak; Llorente, Hancko, Le Normand, Grimaldo; Barrios, Koke; Giuliano Simeone, Kang-in Lee, Baena; Lookman

Villarreal (4-2-3-1)

Junior; Mourino, Foyth, Veiga, Romero; Comesana, Gueye; Pepe, Moreno, Moleiro; Mikautadze

We Say

This should be a much closer contest than the opening-weekend results might suggest. Atletico have the benefit of home advantage and appear to have made a positive start, but Villarreal's third-place finish last season demonstrates their ability to compete with Spain's strongest sides. With both teams possessing significant attacking quality, the midfield battle and Atletico's ability to contain Villarreal's transition play could prove decisive.

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