Who: Villarreal vs Real Madrid
What: Spanish La Liga
Where: Estadio de la Ceramica in Villarreal, Spain
When: Saturday, January 23, at 9pm (20:00 GMT).
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

Real Madrid will claim top spot in La Liga with a win on Saturday, but standing in their way are a plucky Villarreal that have their own ambitions for a title charge.

Los Blancos parted company with head coach Xabi Alonso on January 12, and suffered the immediate shock of a Copa del Rey exit at the hands of lowly Albacete in their very next game.

Moving above Barcelona, who do not play until they host Real Oviedo on Sunday, would be a serious statement for the Spanish giants, whose season appeared ready to lurch into freefall in recent months.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at Saturday’s match, where Villarreal will hope to add their own twist as they continue their plight as the season’s surprise package.

How have Real Madrid reversed the form book?

Real Madrid roared back to life this week, led by a superb Vinicius Junior, and will now seek to crush the threat of another title contender at the same time as they head to Spain’s east coast.

An emphatic 6-1 victory over Monaco on Tuesday in the Champions League helped brighten the gloom in the Spanish capital and earn new coach Alvaro Arbeloa a modicum of credit. Automatic qualification for the last 16 will be secured with a win in their final league phase match at Benfica on Wednesday.

The midweek match was the first glimpse of what his team might look like, after the Copa del Rey last 16 defeat against Albacete in his first match at the helm was the performance of a club deep in the doldrums.

Arbeloa’s second match, a win over Levante in La Liga last weekend, was marked by a monumental show of dissent from home fans, the shadow of which the team struggled to emerge from.

However, with the fans behind them again against Monaco, Madrid put in their best performance of the season, with Brazilian winger Vinicius offering a sensational display, in particular.

Why has Vinicius been struggling and why was he booed by Real Madrid fans?

After going 16 games in a row without finding the net, Vinicius has now scored two in his last four matches.

Beyond a delightful solo goal against Monaco, he was a persistent threat and played key parts in three more of his team’s strikes.

The performance silenced the boo boys in the stands and reminded everyone of the talent that was key to Real’s Champions League and La Liga double in 2024.

“I think he’s a player who thrives when he gets love,” said teammate Jude Bellingham. “He goes up leaps and bounds in his game and becomes so much more joyful to watch and to play with.

“I think that’s the pressure that the kind of whistles put on a player. But now it seems like he’s free from those shackles a little bit, and hopefully he can continue.”

What is Vinicius’s take on his form?

Vinicius himself admitted he needed the Bernabeu faithful by his side rather than on his back.

“We have to keep going and have the support of our fans so that everything returns to normal,” said the winger.

“We want to win, the fans want it, too, and if we stick together, we’re going to achieve great things this season.”

The winger ran over to hug his coach, Arbeloa, after scoring, after the Spaniard had defended him publicly over the last week.

“I saw the fans completely devoted to Vinicius, chanting his name … I said it the other day, he needs to feel loved by his people, he’s very emotional and he needs that affection,” said the coach.

Will Vinicius renew his Real Madrid contract?

Vinicius, who finished as runner-up in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2024, has struggled for consistency ever since.

The 25-year-old’s contract at Madrid runs out in the summer of 2027, and for months, he has been in an apparent standoff with the club over renewing it.

In the days after his sizzling performance against Monaco, that situation seems to be slowly easing, too.

“Renewal talks are gathering pace. Despite a bruising week, the Brazilian knows that Real Madrid as an institution are firmly behind him,” wrote Spanish newspaper AS.

“Vinicius needed the backing of his own to rise from the ashes – and the embrace, first from his teammates and then from Alvaro Arbeloa, made that clear.”

Arbeloa has indicated from the beginning of his reign that a happy Vinicius will lead to a happy Madrid.

How have Villarreal fared in La Liga this season?

Marcelino Garcia Toral’s third-placed Villarreal are seven points behind Madrid and eight off champions Barca; a defeat would therefore virtually write off any chance of a first La Liga title.

Whatever the result on Saturday, though, it has been a remarkable run until now.

The east coast club lost only one of their first seven La Liga fixtures this season, winning five. A similar run would see them win six in a row from late October through early December – a ride that was ended by defeat at Barcelona.

Toral’s side bounced back to win their following two matches but they did suffer defeat in their last domestic outing, going down 2-0 at Real Betis last Saturday.

Estadio de la Ceramica has proven to be a fortress this season with eight wins, a draw and one defeat recorded at home, that in comparison with five wins, a draw and three defeats on the road.

How have Villarreal fared in the Champions League?

The exploits in Europe have not been as rewarding for Villarreal, with six defeats and a draw recorded in their seven games.

They finish the league phase of the Champions League at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, but any hopes of reaching the next round have long since faded.

What happened the last time Villarreal played Real Madrid?

Real won the first meeting in La Liga this season 3-1 at Bernabeu on October 4.

Vinicius Junior netted two minutes in the second half to open the scoring, then doubled Real’s tally from the penalty spot with 20 minutes remaining.

Georges Mikautadze pulled one back for the away team but after Santiago Mourino saw red in the 77th minute, Kylian Mbappe soon after netted Real’s third to ensure the win.

Head-to-head

This will be the 55th meeting between the sides, with Real Madrid winning 31 of the encounters. Villarreal have emerged victorious on only six occasions.

Villareal team news

Willy Kambwala (hamstring), Logan Costa (knee), Pau Cabanes (knee), Santi Comesana (suspended) and Santiago Mourino (suspended) are all unavailable for the visit of Real.

Having played a much-changed lineup in the Champions League in midweek, head coach Marcelino is set to ring the changes and bring back a number of the star names, including Tajon Buchanan, Georges Mikautadze, Dani Parejo, Pau Navarro and Alfonso Pedraza.

Villarreal predicted starting lineup (4-4-2)

Junior; Navarro, Veiga, Foyth, Pedraza; Buchanan, Parejo, Gueye, Moleiro; Perez, Mikautadze

Real Madrid team news

Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended following his fifth booking of the season, which was picked up in last weekend’s 2-0 win against Levante.

Rodrygo has returned from injury and is set to start, while Brahim Diaz has returned from Morocco duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh), Eder Militao (hamstring), Ferland Mendy (hamstring) and Antonio Rudiger (knee) all remain absent.

Real Madrid predicted starting lineup (4-3-3)

Courtois; Valverde, Huijsen, Asencio, Carreras; Guler, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius

Villareal and Real Madrid’s last five matches

Villarreal: W-L-L-W-W (most recent result last, all competitions)

Real Madrid: W-L-W-W-L (most recent result last, all competitions)