Two of the in-form sides in La Liga go head to head this weekend as Atletico Madrid travel to Villarreal in the sixth round of fixtures in the Spanish top flight.
Both sides have won four of their first five outings in the league, and sit third and fourth respectively in the table.
Villarreal
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After drawing on the opening day of the season, Villarreal have been on a four-match winning run, with a 1-0 victory at Malaga earlier this week moving them up to third in the standings.
The victory at La Rosaleda saw Villarreal secure their first clean sheet of the season, having conceded once in each of their first four outings. Only four sides, including this weekend's opponents, have let in fewer goals at the start of the 2015-16 campaign.
Marcelino's side have been in strong scoring form at the start of the season, netting 11 times in their opening five fixtures of the campaign. Roberto Soldado, who joined the club from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, has found the back of the net twice, while Cedric Bakambu leads the way with three.
Victory this weekend will match the team's five-match run of wins in the 2014-15 season, which ended with a 2-2 draw to Elche at the start of the year. Since then, Villarreal's form has been mixed, with the side struggling to pick up back-to-back wins until the start of their current run.
Villarreal have a European game to look forward to after this match, as they taken on Viktoria Plzen in their second fixture in the Europa League. While their league form has been strong, they were beaten in the opening matchday of the competition by Rapid Vienna.
Recent form: LDWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWLWW
Atletico Madrid
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Having suffered their first defeat of the season earlier this month, Atletico Madrid have bounced back well over the last week, following the loss to Barcelona with 2-0 victories over Eibar and Getafe.
Antoine Griezmann continued his strong form in front of goal, netting his fourth and fifth goal of the season in all competitions in the victory over Getafe earlier this week, earning him praise from the manager.
Diego Simeone has also singled out Fernando Torres for his form at the start of the campaign. The Spaniard has not been a definite in the starting lineup this season, but he has scored in both of his last two starts, helping the team to five wins from six matches in all competitions this season.
Griezmann and Torres's performances have helped Atleti net nine goals in their first five matches of the season in the Spanish top flight. Only three sides have found the back of the net more often.
The Madrid side have only conceded in one of their matches so far, keeping four clean sheets to give them the second best defensive record in the league so far this season, behind neighbours Real Madrid. Los Rojiblancos are yet to let in a goal away from home.
Like their opponents, Atletico have a European game to focus on in the next week, with the visit of Benfica in the Champions League coming just a couple of days after this fixture. It will be a busy week, with the first Madrid derby of the season taking place next weekend.
Recent form: DWWLWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWW
Team News
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Villarreal have a number of injury concerns heading into this match. Bakambu, who picked up a knock earlier this month, will miss out again, as will Adrian, who was forced off just 10 minutes into the match against Malaga.
Roberto Soldado also missed that fixture with a knock, but could be fit enough to return for this match, although he will need a late fitness test.
The away side will still be without midfielder Koke after he picked up a thigh injury in last weekend's defeat to Eibar. The 23-year-old is not expected back until after the international break.
Otherwise, Simeone's side have reported no fresh injuries, but with a busy week ahead, Jackson Martinez may return up front, having split the workload with Torres so far this season.
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Areola, Gaspar, Jokic, Rukavina, Bailly, Pina, Samu, Dos Santos, Suarez, Baptistao, Soldado
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak, Godin, Siqueira, Savic, Juanfran, Tiago, Gabi, Ferreira-Carraso, Correa, Griezmann, Martinez
Head To Head
When the sides last met in April, it was Atletico who secured a narrow 1-0 victory thanks to a second-half strike from Fernando Torres. It made amends for the 1-0 defeat at Vicente Calderon earlier in the season.
The win at Atletico Madrid's ground last December was Villarreal's only one against this weekend's opponents in their last seven meetings.
In the 26 previous fixtures between these two sides, Atletico have the marginally better record, with 11 wins to Villarreal's nine, while the teams have shared a draw six times.
We say: Villarreal 1-2 Atletico Madrid
There has been little to separate the two side given their form at the start of the season, but the head-to-head record in recent years certainly favours an Atletico win. Both teams will surely create chances going forward, but the visitors should just have the edge.
Sian Cowper
