Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Betting: La Liga Season Opener

Sorloth to Face Former Team

Atletico Madrid forked over €75 million upfront to make Julian Alvarez a Colchonero.

Alvarez, the former Man City striker, should play a key role this season and debuts on Monday when Atletico Madrid open up the Villarreal. So too should Alexander Sorloth, who used to ply his trade for Villarreal.

While Atletico finished in the top four last season, Villarreal improved as the season went on and came in eighth place. In a match between two projected top-half La Liga teams, we look closer at the Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid betting odds.

Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Head-to-Head:

Last season, the La Liga scores in this fixture were 3-1 to Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano and 2-1 to Atletico in Villarreal. Axel Witsel scored in both matches for Atletico Madrid, who have only lost one of their last 12 matches against Villarreal. Five of the last ten games between these sides have finished in draws, though.

Talented Villarreal Finished Last Season Strongly

2023-24 Season:

• La Liga: 14-11-13 (8th)
• Europa League: Round of 16, lost 5-3 (agg.) to Marseille
• Copa del Rey: Round of 32, lost 1-1 (6-7 pk) at Unionistas

Villarreal hit their stride in the second half of the 2023-24 La Liga season. They only lost two of their last 18 matches under Marcelino and Alexander Sorloth finished second in the 2024 La Liga rankings for the Golden Boot. Sorloth left for Atletico Madrid early in the Summer and Villarreal received a solid fee for the 28-year-old Norwegian.

Still, Villarreal hasn’t signed a direct replacement as Gerard Moreno is the only traditional number nine on the roster. Villarreal did make gs in other areas of the frontline, bringing in Euro 2024 winner Ayoze Perez and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, who’s looking to revive his floundering career.

Villarreal also sealed transfers for Manchester United youngster Willy Kambwala, goalkeeper Diego Conde, left back Sergi Cardona, and midfielder Pape Gueye. Conde, who used to play for Leganes, is expected to start as Filip Jorgensen left Villarreal for Chelsea.

• There are big talents on Villarreal’s roster, including midfielder Alex Baena and winger Ilias Akhomach. Baena led La Liga last season, with 14 assists, while Akhomach was key in Morocco’s run to the Olympic bronze medal.

New Look Atletico Madrid Frontline in 2024-25

2023-24 Season:

• La Liga: 24-4-10 (4th)
• Champions League: Quarter-Finals, lost 5-4 (agg.) to Borussia Dortmund
• Copa del Rey: Semifinalists, lost 4-0 (agg.) to Athletic Club
• Supercopa de España: Semifinalists, lost 5-3 (a.e.t.) to Real Madrid

Atletico Madrid have been aggressive in their pursuit of top transfers this Summer. Poaching Alvarez from Manchester City was a big coup. They are getting a player who has won nearly everything in club and international soccer. While the 24-year-old scored nine goals and didn’t an assist in his first season in Manchester, he expanded his game in year two.

When Kevin De Bruyne was out, Alvarez played more of a creator role and he scored 11 times and assisted on eight occasions last season. Now that he’s the main man in Madrid, he could reach new heights. The Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth strike partnership could be a deadly one.

Atletico did a great job replacing Alvaro Morata and Memphis Depay and we don’t think they’re done yet this Summer. They’ve been linked to Conor Gallagher and N’Golo Kante. Plus, Diego Simeone also managed to convince Robin Le Normand to swap Real Sociedad for Atleti.

Le Normand was an integral part of Spain’s backline in their Euro 2024 triumph and he should start most games on the Champions League contenders.

Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid Odds & Analysis

The only team to defeat Villarreal at the Ceramica in 2024 was Atletico Madrid. This is a challenging opening match for the visitors. But they are +110 favorites here. With players like Rodrigo De Paul and Antoine Griezmann, Atletico has that extra bit of quality to get over the line in matches like this.

Griezmann is still playing at a high level at 33. He scored 16 goals last season. Villarreal hasn’t beaten Atletico Madrid at the Ceramica since 2018 and the hosts are +220 underdogs here. The Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid betting odds also price a draw at +260 and that’s happened in three of the last six games.

Bettors can find Villarreal +0.5 at -145 as they only lost one of their last 11 home games last season. While Atletico has a healthy squad, Villarreal’s Juan Foyth and Denis Suarez are out injured. With attacking talents on both sides, the Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid betting odds list over 2.5 goals at a -145 price for Monday’s season opener.

For Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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