Ah, Real Madrid versus Villi... ahem, Villarreal. Quite the sight for sore eyes. So, let's dissect this little football ballet, shall we?
Between the pipes, we've got Thibaut Courtois for Real Madrid, who's been hanging in there with a respectable 6.90 rating and 9 saves. Villarreal's Diego Conde has a slightly higher rating at 6.97, with 11 saves. Maybe they should hold a bake sale to buy him some support, though.
Leading the line for Real Madrid, we've got the likes of the hot-shot Kylian Mbappé. This magnificent Parisian import's impressive with a rating of an 8.05, 5 goals, and 12 shots on goal. Not to mention, Jude Bellingham and Éder Militão, also holding their own in this magnificent Madrid outfit.
Villarreal's top men aren't shy either. Ayoze Pérez has had a good accuracy rate in passing, as well as Alejandro Baena and Santi Comesaña. Nevertheless, they're not scoring as much, so that could be their Achilles' heel.
Looking at the match history, both teams have managed to take games off each other, kind of like a feud for the last slice of pizza. The recent records reflect a similar story -- both teams are playing some good football, but let's remember Real Madrid is still undefeated.
So let's get down to the nitty-gritty. If you've managed to follow along, you'll likely see where I'm going with this. While I'm tempted by the prospect of a draw punt, Real Madrid looks like the stronger contender, mostly because of Mbappé, who's been scoring more frequently than a texting teenager.
Albert’s Prediction: Real Madrid by 2