Villarreal vs Leganes

Estadio de la Ceramica is the venue as Villarreal and Leganes go head-to-head in a potentially ‘make or break’ La Liga fixture.

Villarreal’s pursuit of securing a Champions League return after a three-season absence has gained legs after a last-gasp 1-0 triumph at Girona extended their lead over sixth-placed Real Betis to three points. Buoyed by a three-game winning league streak – their best such run since March 2024 – El Submarino Amarillo head into proceedings seeking another win against ‘lesser’ sides. Indeed, Marcelino Garcia Toral’s men have claimed 11 wins across 14 league matches against clubs starting this round in 13th or lower (D2, L1). Defensive resilience could prove crucial, with half of Villarreal’s six seasonal La Liga clean sheets coming since the start of April (W4, D2, L1). Furthermore, they’ve won their last two home league games and could make it three in a row for the first time this term.

On the other hand, visiting Leganes cannot relish this trip, not least because they’ve suffered six defeats across their last seven meetings with Villarreal (W1). Encouragingly, the relegation-battling visitors secured an all-important 3-2 home win against Espanyol over the weekend to lift themselves within one point from safety ahead of this matchday. That triumph halted an underwhelming eight-game winless streak (D4, L4) but made it four consecutive La Liga matches without losing (W1, D3). However, they’ve struggled defensively, conceding 2+ goals in five of their last six league outings on the road.