Who will cope better with the cup exit?

The second half of the season kicks off on the sunny island with a clash between two teams who have positioned themselves in mid-table in La Liga. Promoted side UD Las Palmas welcome Villarreal and the bookmakers’ predictions promise an exciting encounter between the two teams. The hosts are certainly more than satisfied with the first half of the season. They have built up a good cushion against the relegation places, so they should be able to stay up in the first year after being promoted again

The visitors from the east of the country are likely to be less satisfied. After qualifying for international competitions time and again in recent years, the yellow submarine’s performance this year has been very sobering. As things stand at the moment, they have to look towards the bottom of the table, as their lead over the relegation places is not particularly large. A three-pointer against the weakening hosts would provide some reassurance. In the match between Las Palmas and Villarreal, a bet on the visitors is rewarded with odds of 2.80.

The train to the international starting places has probably left the station for both teams. For the yellow submarine at least, that is a disappointment. The gap between them and the top teams from Madrid and Girona, who are fighting a fierce battle for the championship this year, is 29 points. After losing the first leg, the visitors still have unfinished business to settle with the promoted side. We will find out to what extent they can do so on Saturday from 14:00 when the whistle blows at the Estadio de Gran Canaria.

Las Palmas – Statistics & current form

After relegation in 2018, it took five years for UD Las Palmas to regain promotion to Spain’s top flight. The yellow-and-blues are playing a strong season as promoted teams and have successfully kept out of the relegation battle so far. There is a good chance that they will stay up.

The Amarillos have collected seven wins and four points from their first nineteen games. In total, the hosts have 25 points, which currently puts them in tenth place in the table. They have built up a ten-point buffer on the critical area of the table. In contrast, they are only seven points off the Europa League places. Head coach Francisco Pimienta’s team are well on their way to securing their place in the league at an early stage

Las Palmas with a strong defense

The basis of their success is a strong defense. Keeper Alvaro Valles and his front men only conceded 17 goals. This is the second-best figure in La Liga. Only league leaders Real Madrid conceded fewer goals. On the other hand, the goalscoring rate is very poor

The attacking forces only got the ball over the opponent’s goal line 16 times. Only Deportivo Alaves and FC Cadiz scored even less often. Kirian Rodriguez is his team’s most dangerous marksman with three goals

Three defeats in a row for the Amarillos

In the last few games, things have not gone quite so smoothly for the yellow and blue team. The home side have been waiting for a win in three competitive matches. While the narrow defeats against the top teams from Barcelona (1:2) and Bilbao (0:1) were still manageable, the elimination in the Copa last weekend at second-division side Tenerife was a surprise. The aim now is to get back on the road to success at the start of the second half of the season. In the match between Las Palmas and Villarreal, the best bookmakers are offering odds of 2.52 for bets on the Amarillos.

The home side’s good home record gives hope of a home win on Saturday. They have only lost two games in front of their own fans, including the defeat against Barca. Las Palmas are not to be underestimated in their own stadium, as Atletico Madrid, among others, found out when they went home empty-handed.

Predicted Las Palmas line-up:

Villarreal – Statistics & current form

In recent years, Villarreal CF have always been represented in the upper regions of the table. Year after year, they have managed to qualify for an international competition. In 2021, the eastern Spaniards celebrated their greatest success and won the Europa League after a penalty shoot-out against Manchester United. This season, however, things are not going well. Two coaches have already been sacked this season due to the ongoing failures. Marcelino is currently the strong man on the sidelines, but even under him, success has failed to materialize. Let’s see how long he lasts.

The yellow-and-blues have only won five of their 19 games. With an additional four draws, the yellow submarine has a total of 19 points. This currently means they are only 13th in the table, just four points ahead of Cadiz, who occupy the first relegation spot. The international stage, on the other hand, is already 13 points away

Villarreal embarrass themselves in the Copa

The visitors have lacked consistency this season. They have yet to win two in a row and of their last five league games, only the clash with Celta Vigo has been won 3-2. They have even lost three of their last four La Liga matches. For the upcoming match between Las Palmas and Villarreal, betting odds of 2.80 are being paid on the visitors.

The negative highlight was certainly the elimination from the Copa del Rey last weekend

At third division side Unionistas, Villarreal had to bow out of the competition despite leading 1-0 at one stage. The lower-ranked opponents held their nerve in the decisive penalty shoot-out

Defensive problems for the yellow submarine

The Submarino amarillo’s biggest problem is their glaring defensive weakness. They have already had to clear the ball out of their own net 38 times. Only Granada FC and UD Almeria have conceded more goals to date. On the other hand, the team’s attacking performance has been decent. The visitors have scored 27 goals. That puts them in seventh place in this ranking. Gerard Moreno scored nine times, making him his team’s top scorer.

Marcelino’s side have performed much better on the international stage. The Spaniards finished top of Europa League Group F ahead of Stade Rennes and Maccabi Haifa. Villarreal have not won away from home in three competitive matches. In the league, they have only won two games at their opponents’ ground this season.

Predicted Villarreal line-up:

Las Palmas – Villarreal head-to-head comparison / H2H result

The two teams have met eleven times in Spain’s top flight. Las Palmas have won four of them and the visitors have been successful six times. In the first leg of the current season, the team from Gran Canaria won 2-1 against the yellow submarine, with the hosts only scoring the equalizer in stoppage time. For the second leg between Las Palmas and Villarreal, the bookmakers are predicting a completely open game. The top odds for the home side are 2.52.

The last time they met on the sunny island, the eastern Spaniards came out on top. None of the last six matches have ended in a draw. Each team won three of these duels. There were also three away wins and three home victories. At least two goals were scored in four of the six matches

Las Palmas – Villarreal betting tip

Two teams coming out of the cup weekend with disappointments will meet this Saturday. The hosts have lost their last three competitive matches. Nevertheless, the promoted team’s position in the table is still satisfactory. A win against Villarreal would secure their mid-table position. Coach Pimienta will continue to build on his strong defense.

The visitors, on the other hand, cannot be satisfied with their performance in the league. In recent years, they have regularly made it onto the international stage, but the yellow submarine is currently a long way off. If they are to continue to climb the table, coach Marcelino must get a grip on his team’s defensive problems

Although both teams have had to endure a run of poor results in recent weeks, we think the home side have the edge. Of the last four home games, only the clash with Barcelona has been lost.

We are not expecting a goal spectacle in this game. The men from the sunny island have one of the most harmless offenses in the league. On the other hand, their defense has seldom been a threat and is currently one of the best in La Liga. That’s why betting on a maximum of two goals between Las Palmas and Villarreal at odds of 1.89 is a good alternative