Karim Benzema will be looking to continue his recent excellent form when Real Madrid welcome Villarreal to Bernabeu in La Liga on Saturday night.
The 35-year-old has scored hat-tricks in his last two appearances, netting three times against Real Valladolid in the league last weekend, before hitting another treble against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Benzema is now on 25 goals for the campaign, and the Frenchman appears to have found his best form at the perfect stage of the season, with Real Madrid still competing for three trophies.
There is a chance that the forward could be rested from the start in this match, with head coach Carlo Ancelotti looking ahead to next week's Champions League quarter-final first leg with Chelsea.
However, Benzema is likely to have a say one way or another, and here Sports Mole looks at how the striker has performed against Villarreal in the past.
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The Frenchman has faced Villarreal on 20 occasions during his professional career, with 19 of those matches taking place in La Liga, while he has also tackled them in the Copa del Rey once, and his overall record is 10 wins, eight draws and two defeats.
Benzema has nine goals and four assists against the Yellow Submarine, all of which have come in La Liga, where his record is nine wins, eight draws and two defeats.
The forward captained Real Madrid to a 3-2 success over Villarreal in the last-16 stage of this season's Copa del Rey, while he was on the scoresheet in a 2-1 loss for Los Blancos in the league earlier this term.
Benzema's first-ever goal against Villarreal came in 2011, as he scored and provided an assist in a 3-0 home success for Real Madrid.
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The former France international has netted braces against the Yellow Submarine on two separate occasions, firstly in a 4-2 Real Madrid victory in 2014, before scoring twice in a 2-1 win for his side in 2020.
Last season, Benzema played the full 90 minutes of his team's league game with Villarreal at Bernabeu, but the points were shared in a goalless draw.
The forward's last league success over the Yellow Submarine came on the final matchday of the 2020-21 campaign, scoring and providing an assist in a 2-1 victory for Los Blancos.
Benzema has had his fitness problems this term, but he appeared back to his best against Barcelona on Wednesday, with his treble helping to send Carlo Ancelotti's side into the final.
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Matt Law
