Real Madrid will be out to bounce back in La Liga when they host an in-form Villarreal side at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night, as they aim to keep pace with Barcleona.
Xabi Alonso’s men sit second in the table with 18 points from their opening seven matches, two clear of their weekend opponents. Los Blancos opened the campaign with six straight league victories against Osasuna, Real Oviedo, Mallorca, Real Sociedad, Espanyol and Levante, but their momentum was halted by a humbling 5-2 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid last weekend.
That loss saw them surrender top spot to Barcelona, yet Madrid remain just a point off the pace and have otherwise enjoyed a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign as they look to quickly respond on home soil.
Villarreal, meanwhile, continue to impress under Marcelino, entering this clash in third place with 16 points from seven outings. The Yellow Submarine shared the spoils with Juventus in a 2-2 draw during midweek Champions League action and now turn their attention back to domestic matters, where they have won five of their opening seven matches.
Their recent league form has been particularly impressive, stringing together victories over Osasuna, Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao to build confidence ahead of their toughest test yet. With their only defeat coming against Atletico Madrid earlier this month, Villarreal travel to the capital full of belief as they aim to close the gap on both Madrid and Barcelona.
The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the latest lineup news.
Real Madrid vs. Villarreal live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this La Liga match in the U.S.:
TV channel: N/A
Live stream: ESPN App
This game is not available for live TV broadcast in the English Language. Streaming options are available on ESPN App.
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What time does Real Madrid vs. Villarreal kick off?
This La Liga clash takes place at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain and kicks off on Saturday, October 4 at 9:00 p.m. local time (CEST).
Here's how that time translates across the U.S.:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| Eastern Time | Sat, Oct. 4 | 3:00 p.m. |
| Central Time | Sat, Oct. 4 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Mountain Time | Sat, Oct. 4 | 1:00 p.m. |
| Pacific Time | Sat, Oct. 4 | 12:00 p.m. |
Real Madrid vs. Villarreal lineups, team news
Real Madrid’s defensive concerns continue to mount ahead of Saturday’s clash, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger all sidelined. However, Eder Militao is expected to shake off an ankle knock and return to action.
Xabi Alonso is likely to make several adjustments to his lineup, potentially switching to a back three to compensate for the absences. Aurelien Tchouameni could drop into defence, while Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga are both set to start.
Further forward, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior may form a two-man frontline, with Federico Valverde also tipped to feature despite speculation surrounding his future.
Real Madrid predicted XI (3-4-1-2, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Militao, Huijsen, Tchouameni — Valverde, Guler, Camavinga, Carreras — Bellingham — Vinicius, Mbappe.
Injured: Alexander-Arnold, Carvajal, Mendy, Rudiger
Suspended: None
Villarreal, meanwhile, are dealing with their own injury headaches. Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala, Juan Foyth and Pau Cabanes have all been ruled out, while key attackers Ayoze Perez and Gerard Moreno remain doubtful. Georges Mikautadze is expected to spearhead the attack, with Nicolas Pepe likely to join him should Perez fail to recover in time.
Head coach Marcelino is also expected to make several changes from the side that faced Juventus, with Luiz Junior set to reclaim his spot in goal, while Sergi Cardona, Thomas Partey, Alberto Moleiro and Ilias Akhomach could all be handed starting roles.
Villarreal predicted XI (4-4-2 right to left): Junior (GK) — Mourino, Veiga, Marin, S Cardona — Akhomach, Partey, Gueye, Moleiro — Mikautadze, Pepe.
Injured: Costa, Kambwala, Foyth, Cabanes, Perez (doubt), Moreno (doubt)
Suspended: None
La Liga fixture schedule this week
Friday, October 3
- Osasuna vs. Getafe (3:00 p.m. ET)
Saturday, October 4
- Real Oviedo vs. Levante (8:00 a.m. ET)
- Girona vs. Valencia (10:15 a.m. ET)
- Athletic Bilbao vs. Mallorca (12:30 a.m. ET)
- Real Madrid vs. Villarreal (3:00 p.m. ET)
Sunday, October 5
- Alaves vs. Elche (8 a.m. ET)
- Sevilla vs. Barcelona (10:15 a.m. ET)
- Espanyol vs. Real Betis (12:30 p.m. ET)
- Real Sociedad vs. Rayo Vallecano (12:30 p.m. ET)
- Celta Vigo vs. Atletico Madrid (3:00 p.m. ET)