The Submarine visits the capital to face an Atleti against whom they have only secured two away victories in the last decade. The most recent was at the Metropolitano in 2022, with goals from Yéremy Pino and Gerard Moreno (0-2). The other win dates back to 2017, at the now-defunct Vicente Calderón, with a solitary goal from Roberto Soriano.
The last encounter between the two clubs was the closing match of last season at the Estadio de la Cerámica, which ended with a resounding 5-1 victory for Villarreal. That game served as a celebration for Champions League qualification and marked the farewells of Marcelino, Parejo, and Pedraza. The goals for the Groguets were scored by Parejo (brace), Ayoze Pérez (brace), Mikautadze, and Pape Gueye, against a single goal from Pubill for the Madrid side.
The match of the second matchday will take place on Sunday, 23rd, at 17:00 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano and will be broadcast on Movistar +.
After the match against Racing, Villarreal's coaching staff has had a week to work on correcting the observed imbalances. Coach Iñigo Pérez himself acknowledged inaccuracies typical of the early games of the season. However, a difficult match against Atlético is expected, and it remains to be seen the availability of Simeone's key players.
The Groguet club also awaits news on the future of young defender Kambwala, who will leave on loan. There was an agreement with Osasuna, but Cesc Fàbregas's Como has also shown interest. Furthermore, the arrival of a midfielder is anticipated, a position in need due to Diatta's two-match suspension.
Atlético de Madrid comes into the match after salvaging their league debut against Málaga (2-0), thanks to Oblak's saves and goals from Baena and Kang in Lee from the bench. If Simeone fails to get his important players into competitive rhythm, he could face difficulties in securing points against Villarreal.
