Marcelino García Toral has named his Villarreal CF starting lineup for today's LaLiga match away to Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano. The manager has made two changes from the last game, bringing Santiago Mouriño and Alberto Moleiro into the side.
The defence and midfield
Mouriño starts at right-back, forming a back four with Juan Foyth, Renato Veiga and Cristian Romero. In midfield, Santi Comesaña and Idrissa Gueye will operate as the double pivot, with creative support from Moleiro in a more advanced role. Uruguayan defender Mouriño earns his second league start, while Moleiro, on loan from UD Las Palmas, is still searching for his first goal for the Yellow Submarine.
Júnior R. Will start in goal for the away side. In attack, the responsibility falls on the experience of Ayoze Pérez and the goalscoring threat of Georges Mikautadze. The Georgian striker, with five goals this season, is the team's top scorer and one of the main offensive hopes for this evening.
Options from the bench
On the substitutes' bench, Marcelino has alternatives like Canadian forward Tajon Buchanan, young winger Ilias Akhomach and midfielder Santi Cardona. Goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi and centre-back Pau Navarro, who returns after overcoming a muscle injury, are also available. The bench provides both offensive and defensive options for the latter stages of the game.
This match is a significant challenge in the fight for European positions. A positive result at the Metropolitano would allow Villarreal to maintain pressure on the teams occupying the Conference League spots. The full squad and updated injuries list are available on the club's website.
The referee for the match will be Javier Alberola Rojas, with Alejandro Hernández Hernández on VAR duty. Kick-off is at 9:00 PM local time in matchday 30 of LaLiga EA Sports.
