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And so Villarreal, we meet again.
Personally, this fixture is one of my favorites. Early last year, when Real Madrid hosted the same fixture, it was an absolutely fabulous match which resulted in a 4-2 victory for the Whites. If you aren't convinced, maybe the stunning statistic that this fixture has featured 20 goals in the last four matches will have you tuning in tonight. However, be warned that times haven't been great for Villarreal and they are not as strong a team as they were last year. While Madrid are sitting happily on 19 points (with a win tonight carrying them back to the top of the table), Villarreal are in 17th place with seven points. And considering Madrid will be looking for their sixth consecutive home victory, as well as on their best goal-scoring start in 47 years, you should expect los blancos to pull off a convincing win.
Assistant Coach Aitor Karanka was on hand to address the match prior to tonight's match and warned that Real Madrid are not going to underestimate Villarreal:
"We must continue to play like we did against Olympique Lyonnais and Malaga. We won't have to worry about anything if we perform at that level. Nevertheless, Villarreal will make it harder for us than may seem at first. They are better than what the table seems to show. They caused trouble for us last season."
Putting Karanka's words into consideration, Mourinho will probably field a strong side. It will be interesting to see how Real line-up. Since Higuain is on a scoring high, we will most likely see him up front.
Although Villarreal may have a small chance of pulling off something to upset the Whites, the current difference in form is too big a gap for Villarreal to cross. My prediction: 4-1 with Real Madrid achieving yet another convincing victory.