Villarreal have already proven themselves as genuine top-four contenders in La Liga this season and they should have no trouble in claiming all three points at lowly Huesca on Saturday.
Arsenal supporters may not remember Unai Emery with too much fondness, but the former Gunners boss is certainly getting a tune out of Villarreal, with the Yellow Submarine heading into the weekend in fourth position in La Liga and having lost just one of their last 25 matches across all competitions.
Only league leaders Atletico Madrid have lost fewer games than Villarreal in La Liga this season and Emery’s men have been particularly emphatic on their travels of late, winning five of their last six away fixtures and racking up an impressive 17 goals in the process.
The signs are that trend will continue when they visit the Estadio El Alcoraz on Saturday to take on bottom of the table Huesca – a team that boast the division’s joint-worst home record in terms of points, wins and goals.
Indeed, last year’s Segunda champions already look resigned to a swift return to the second tier following four straight league defeats, while they have also failed to score in each of their last three.
There is nothing to suggest that unwanted run will be ended on Saturday and Villarreal have every chance of winning this fixture to nil, an outcome that can be backed at 7/4.
Granada to Add to Osasuna’s Concerns
European hopefuls Granada have only lost three of their last 13 matches across all competitions, with two of those defeats coming against Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Diego Martinez’s side are also unbeaten in their last three away games, scoring twice in each of those fixtures, including while earning an impressive 2-2 draw at Villarreal last time out.
By contrast, Osasuna sit 19th in the standings and are without a win in 13 league games, a run that stretches back nearly three months.
A goalless draw with Real Madrid in their last home fixture did show that Jagoba Arrasate still has his players pulling in the same direction, but Osasuna have lost each of their last three meetings with Granada and we are predicting another success for El Grana on Sunday at 43/20.
Atleti to Preserve Ruthless Record
One of the main reason’s Atleti appear to be pulling well clear in the La Liga title race is due to their ruthless home form, as they have won eight and drawn one of their nine league games at the Wanda Metropolitano this season, conceding just two goals in the process.
Indeed, Diego Simeone’s side have won 13 of their last 14 La Liga games home or away, while they have conceded only seven top-flight goals, eight fewer than the next best defensive team in the division.
That run looks set to continue on Sunday when they play host to a Valencia side that are surprisingly battling against relegation and have won just one of their last seven La Liga games.
Atleti are also unbeaten in their last 12 meetings with Valencia, a run that includes a 1-0 victory at the Mestalla back in November, with another win to nil for the league leaders looking good value on Sunday at 20/21.
*All odds correct at time of writing