Unai Emery's Villarreal welcome newly-promoted Almeria to the Ciutat de Valencia on Sunday, with both sides struggling for consistency in LaLiga.

The hosts were convincingly beaten by Barcelona on Thursday, while the visitors were involved in a thrilling 3-2 win over Girona.

Match preview

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It has been an incredibly tough week for Villarreal, following the tragic passing of the club's Vice President, Jose Manuel Llaneza, on Thursday.

The 74-year-old had joined Villarreal in 1994 and quickly became a constant presence in and around the club, with his lifelong dedication to the academy helping to turn a village side into LaLiga regulars and European challengers in just under three decades.

On the same day, the Yellow Submarine faced a daunting trip to Camp Nou, where they were swept aside by a ruthless Barcelona, with the sad news still weighing heavy on the side in the wake of their 3-0 defeat.

Aside from a 2-0 victory over Osasuna last weekend, the club from Castellon have been struggling for form in LaLiga, with defeats to rivals Real Betis and Real Sociedad proving to be particularly damaging with regard to the league standings.

The visit of Almeria, however, with just one point from a possible 15 on the road, represents an important opportunity to get back on the winning trail ahead of a tricky-looking trip to Athletic Bilbao the following weekend.

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The visitors, on the other hand, come into this game on a high after securing a dramatic 3-2 win over Girona to propel them up the table.

Up to 13th after a hard-earned three points, Rubi's men raced into a three-goal lead before half-time for the second home game in succession, as Adrian Embarba hit an unbelievable 40-yard free-kick to add to the delirium at the Power Horse stadium.

The Andalusian side very nearly let their advantage slip, as a missed penalty and disallowed goal saw their opponents fall agonisingly short of a dramatic comeback.

Nonetheless, the performances of new signings Embarba and Gonzalo Melero, as well as striker El Bilal Toure, who scored for a third consecutive game, added to the optimism in Almeria that their side possess sufficient firepower to sustain their LaLiga status.

Team News

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Emery has been able to welcome back a few familiar faces in recent weeks, as both Alberto Moreno and Manu Trigueros got some minutes under their belt in Barcelona. There is a chance that one or both may start here, in an attempt to build some much-needed match fitness.

In less positive news, both Gerard Moreno and Juan Foyth will continue on the sidelines, while Alfonso Pedraza was withdrawn after 25 minutes last time out with a hamstring problem. He will be replaced by summer signing Johan Mojica at left-back.

Etienne Capoue and Giovani Lo Celso have both been absent since a UEFA Conference League tie with Austria Vienna and look likely to miss out again here, while Jose Luis Morales will once again be pushing for a LaLiga start.

For the visitors, Juanjo Nieto and Alex Centelles will all remain sidelined with their respective injuries, while Chumi should return to the bench.

After a draining midweek victory, Rubi could look to tweak things slightly, but will surely continue with consistent performers Embarba, Melero and Toure.

Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Rulli; Mojica, Torres, Albiol, Femenia; Baena, Trigueros, Morlanes, Pino; Jackson, Morales

Almeria possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Akieme, Babic, Ely, Pozo; Melero, De la Hoz; Ramazani, Eguaras, Embarba; Toure

We say: Villarreal 3-1 Almeria

After a tough couple of days, a home tie against newly-promoted opposition is exactly what Villarreal needed, and we expect them to get the job done here.

Almeria are high on confidence and should cause one or two problems going forward, but the hosts should be able to see this one through.

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