The opening weekend spreads into Monday in the LaLiga Santander with Villarreal looking to bounce back from their UEFA Super Cup loss as they take on Granada. Read on for our expert tips and predictions.

It’s been six years since the Yellow Submarine last recorded a defeat in this fixture- a run that has spanned across 10 games. Their most recent encounter ended with a comfortable 3-0 victory to Unai Emery’s troops.

Who grabs maximum points in this season opener?

Villarreal has had a taste of competitive games in the early stages of the 2021/2022 season having featured in the UEFA Super Cup last week. Unai Emery entered his 4th UEFA Super Cup match, bidding to pick up the trophy for the first time. Once again, it didn’t quite end well as Tuchel’s Blues emerged victors via a penalty shootout. Now they turn their focus to the league in which they would be looking to do better than their 7th place finish last term.

Granada was vying for Europe towards the end of the last season with an away victory at Barcelona all but announcing their intentions. However, they capitulated from then on with four losses in their final five games of the season for a 9th placed finish. Roberto Moreno has managed to get his team ready for a couple of pre-season matches which was crowned by a 2-1 victory against Linares Deportivo.

Villarreal vs Granada Team News

Villarreal possible starting XI:

Asenjo; Pedraza, Albiol, Mandi, Gaspar; Gomez, Capoue, Trigueros; Moreno, Pino, Dia

Granada possible starting XI:

Escandell; Foulquier, Duarte, Sanchez, Neva; Montoro, Gonalons, Milla; Suarez, Machis, Bacca

Villarreal vs Granada Prediction: 2-1

Granada didn’t have the best form away from home in the LaLiga Santander last season. Reverse has been the case for Villarreal who have a decent record at the Ceramica. As such, we would be going for a narrow home victory in Villarreal this Monday.