Real Madrid travel east to Villarreal looking to seize the initiative in the Spanish title race after Barcelona's draw at Osasuna on Saturday.
Zinedine Zidane's side were forced to accept a share of the spoils against Real Valladolid last weekend and, with a number of key men still out of contention, this could represent a good chance for Villarreal to claim a confidence-boosting win.
Santi Cazorla's brace earned them a point in this fixture last season but the home side are without a win so far this campaign. Their opening-day 4-4 thriller with Granada was followed by a defeat at Levante last week.
| Game | Villarreal vs Real Madrid |
| Date | Sunday, September 1 |
| Time | 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN Sports / beIN Sports en Espanol | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be shown live on ITV 4 and online at the ITV Hub.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| ITV 4 | ITV Hub |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Villarreal squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Asenjo, Fernandez, Barbosa |
| Defenders | Gaspar, Albiol, Torres, Funes Mori, Quintilla, A. Moreno, Pena |
| Midfielders | Caseres, Cazorla, Iborra, Trigueros, Chukwueze, Morlanes, Anguissa, Suarez, Gomez, Ontiveros |
| Forwards | Bacca, G. Moreno, Ekambi |
Villarreal have no new injury problems to contend with, and long-term absentee Bruno Soriano is the only man missing.
Confirmed Villarreal starting XI: Fernandez, Gaspar, Albiol, Pau, Quintilla, Chukwueze, Cazorla, Iborra, Gomez, Gerard, Toko Ekambi.
| Position | Real Madrid squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Navas, Altube |
| Defenders | Carvajal, Militao, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Odriozola, Mendy |
| Midfielders | Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde |
| Forwards | Benzema, Bale, Vasquez, Jovic, Vinicius |
Keylor Navas has travelled with the squad despite being linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but Madrid are without Eden Hazard, Brahim Diaz, Isco, James Rodriguez, Marco Asensio and Rodrygo Goes for Sunday's encounter.
Confirmed Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Mendy, Casemiro, Kroos, Vazquez, Bale, Benzema, Jovic.
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are 10/11 favourites to win this match with bet365 . Villarreal are 11/4 to upset the odds with a win, while a draw is on offer at 29/10
Match Preview
GettyAfter a hugely disappointing 2018-19 season, Villarreal are still yet to kick their new campaign into gear despite scoring five goals in their opening two games. One point from two matches hardly represents the start Javier Calleja would have been hoping for after a transfer window which as seen the likes of Pablo Fornals, Roberto Soriano and Nicola Sansone leave the club.
A home fixture with Madrid hardly represents an easy opportunity to notch a first win of the season, but Calleja is optimistic that his side can rise to the occasion.
"There aren't many games tougher," he said. They're a team that have the quality to win La Liga. We have to trust in what we've got and not gift them anything because they can make the most of gifts.
"It's a match of the highest difficulty, but I'm positive. The team is working well and that makes me optimistic.
"Madrid have a number of important players out of action. But then you see those who are going to play and you realise the potential they have. They're definitely top players, players used to winning everything. But I'm more worried about us, and what we do. Our identity has to win us matches."
Getty ImagesWith the summer transfer window finally coming to a close, Zinedine Zidane will be looking forward to the international break as a chance to nurse some of his key men back from injury and regroup with a more settled team.
Still without marquee signing Eden Hazard, Madrid have looked inconsistent but they have the chance to go back ahead of Barcelona in the title race, meaning this game will be judged more by the result than the performance.
"We're treating it as the most important game of the season because it's our next one," Zidane said.
"We know that the points are important now at the start of the season. We want to go out and deliver a good performance. We've had a good week, it's been a long one and the vibes are good. We now want to take those good vibes into tomorrow's game.
"Villarreal are very good in possession. They might not have had the best of results at the start of the season but they're capable of making life difficult for you because they've got some good players. We've prepared well for the game during the course of this week".