Villarreal vs Real Oviedo Tips & Preview - Hosts too strong for New boys

By Tolu Shotade

27 seconds ago

Tolu Shotade 27 seconds ago

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Villarreal start La Liga vs Real Oviedo.
Lost key players but added Thomas Partey.
Real Oviedo return to the top division after 24 years.

Villarreal vs Real Oviedo

Villarreal will look to build on last season's showings and begin their La Liga campaign with a home clash against Real Oviedo.

The hosts lost a few key players in the transfer market and looked a bit off colour in preseason. However, they should still have enough to see off the newly promoted side, who also found things difficult in their friendlies.

Villarreal News

Villarreal enjoyed a fine campaign last season as they secured a top-five finish and a return to the UEFA Champions League. They lost Alex Baena and Thierno Barry in the transfer window but brought in Thomas Partey on a free transfer.

Preseason was not smooth for Villarreal, who picked up one win from eight matches and were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa in their previous fixture. However, manager Marcelino will be keen to channel their form from the end of last season, having won their final six matches. They also led at the break in their last three home fixtures in the league.

Villarreal may have lost Baena, but they held on to top scorer Ayoze Perez, who grabbed 19 league goals last season. Eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions have produced over 1.5 goals.

Real Oviedo News

Real Oviedo are back in the Spanish topflight after a 24-year absence. Led by veteran midfielder Santi Cazorla, they gained promotion after claiming a 3-2 aggregate victory over Mirandes in the playoffs.

Manager Veljko Paunovic has not exactly bolstered the squad ahead of a long La Liga campaign as transfer activity has been sparse. Goalkeeper Horatiu Moldovan was brought in, while veteran striker Salomon Rondon was also acquired from Mexican side Pachuca.

Real Oviedo are considered the most likely team to be relegated and looked unconvincing in preseason. They picked up just one win from six friendly matches, playing out a 0-0 draw with Leganes in their previous fixture.

Head to Head

Villarreal are unbeaten in five matches against Real Oviedo and earned a 3-1 victory in the last La Liga meeting back in 2001. However, both teams battled to a 0-0 draw in a friendly back in July.

Verdict

Villarreal v Real Oviedo

Despite their erratic preseason, Villarreal are still expected to be too strong for Real Oviedo, who do not look prepared for the rigours of top-flight football. The hosts have earned a win and over 1.5 goals in four of their last five La Liga matches and could be set for a repeat.

Perez will be keen to pick up where he left off last season and will fancy his chances of getting on the score sheet against the newly promoted side.

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