Second will welcome third in an intriguing La Liga battle on Saturday night, with the champions Real Madrid hosting Villarreal.
Los Blancos have picked up 18 points from their opening eight matches of the 2024-25 campaign to sit in second spot in the table, three points behind the leaders Barcelona.
Villarreal, meanwhile, have 17 points from their first eight games, which has left them in second, and they will be aiming to record their sixth league success of the campaign ahead of the October international break.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides ahead of the contest in the Spanish capital.
© Imago
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 51
Real Madrid wins: 28
Draws: 17
Villarreal wins: 6
Real Madrid have locked horns with Villarreal on 51 occasions throughout history, and it is the capital giants that comfortably lead the head-to-head record, boasting 28 wins to Villarreal's six.
There have also been 17 draws between the two sides, while Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in this fixture, having netted 13 times against Villarreal during his time with Real Madrid.
The two teams last locked horns at the end of the 2023-24 La Liga campaign, with the points being shared in a pulsating 4-4 draw, but Los Blancos were 4-1 winners in the reverse game at Bernabeu in December 2023.
Villarreal do have a recent away win to their name over Real Madrid, though, having recorded a 3-2 victory at Bernabeu during the 2022-23 campaign, so they know what it takes to triumph in the famous stadium.
© Imago
In La Liga, the teams have met on 48 occasions, with Real Madrid winning 25 times to Villarreal's six, but two of their last four meetings in Spain's top flight have been won by the Yellow Submarine.
Real Madrid have been victorious in just one of their last six La Liga matches against Villarreal, with the points being shared on three occasions, and the capital giants have found the Yellow Submarine to be a difficult opponent in recent seasons.
Los Blancos have not actually won back-to-back league games against Villarreal since 2014, which is incredible considering their status in world football.
Villarreal can take plenty of encouragement from their recent displays against the reigning Spanish and European champions, while they have scored the same number of goals (17) as their opponents in La Liga this season.
Last 20 meetings
May 19, 2024: Villarreal 4-4 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Dec 17, 2023: Real Madrid 4-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Apr 08, 2023: Real Madrid 2-3 Villarreal (La Liga)
Jan 19, 2023: Villarreal 2-3 Real Madrid (Copa del Rey Round of 16)
Jan 07, 2023: Villarreal 2-1 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Feb 12, 2022: Villarreal 0-0 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Sep 25, 2021: Real Madrid 0-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
May 22, 2021: Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Nov 21, 2020: Villarreal 1-1 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Jul 16, 2020: Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Sep 01, 2019: Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid (La Liga)
May 05, 2019: Real Madrid 3-2 Villarreal (La Liga)
Jan 03, 2019: Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid (La Liga)
May 19, 2018: Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Jan 13, 2018: Real Madrid 0-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Feb 26, 2017: Villarreal 2-3 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Sep 21, 2016: Real Madrid 1-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Apr 20, 2016: Real Madrid 3-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
Dec 13, 2015: Villarreal 1-0 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Mar 01, 2015: Real Madrid 1-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Last 10 La Liga meetings
May 19, 2024: Villarreal 4-4 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Dec 17, 2023: Real Madrid 4-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Apr 08, 2023: Real Madrid 2-3 Villarreal (La Liga)
Jan 07, 2023: Villarreal 2-1 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Feb 12, 2022: Villarreal 0-0 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Sep 25, 2021: Real Madrid 0-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
May 22, 2021: Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Nov 21, 2020: Villarreal 1-1 Real Madrid (La Liga)
Jul 16, 2020: Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Sep 01, 2019: Villarreal 2-2 Real Madrid (La Liga)
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