Without a doubt this will be the most interesting match of the final round of La Liga fixtures, given that both Villarreal and Atletico Madrid will have a lot to play for. While the Yellow Submarine need a win in order to avoid relegation, los Colchoneros are still hoping they can clinch the final Champions League berth with three points from El Madrigal.

Tough times for Villarreal

Villarreal started the season by playing in Champions League group stages, but less than a year later they are fighting for their lives in La Liga. It is fair to say nobody expected the Yellow Submarine to stoop so low, but the reality is they have missed too many chances to break away from the bottom three. Villarreal have been doing well of late, although their five-match unbeaten run came to an end last weekend as they were beaten by Valencia, and that defeat left the Yellow Submarine just one point clear of the relegation zone. With both Rayo Vallecano and Real Zaragoza expected to win their weekend games, Miguel Angel Lotina’s side will probably need a win over Europa League champions Atletico Madrid to stay alive and that will be no easy task. Villarreal have lost just one of their last eight La Liga games at El Madrigal, and the interesting thing is that both teams scored in seven of those eight matches.

Captain Marcos Senna returns to the side after recovering from a hamstring problem, but Cani remains injury doubt.

Atletico win Europa League in style

Atletico Madrid have been exceeding expectations ever since Diego Simeone replaced Gregorio Manzano at the helm and the Europa League trophy was a just reward for team’s efforts this season. Los Colchoneros hammered very good Athletic Bilbao side in Bucharest to win the game 3-0 and thus won the trophy for the second time in last three years. The players tried to keep the celebrations at the minimum as there is another very important game left before the season ends, and there is no doubt they will give their best to try and beat Villarreal and thus possibly pip Malaga to the fourth place in the standings. Having won six of their last eight games in all competitions, los Colchoneros clearly have something to hope for before the trip to the outskirts of Valencia, especially as they have nothing to lose unlike their opponents.

Arda Turan misses out through suspension, but all other players are fit for the clash at El Madrigal.

Verdict

Both sides nurture attractive attacking football and they will be going for a win at El Madrigal, which should make up for a very open game. Seeing that both teams scored in 7 of Villarreal’s last 8 home games, backing both teams to score looks like the right thing to do.

Our prediction: Both teams to score

Odds: 1.67 (2/3)

Bookmaker: Bodog