Racing Santander vs Villarreal prediction 16.08.2026 | La Liga
Racing Santander
Kick off:
Date:
Villarreal
1
3.33
X
3.66
2
2.26
Contents
- Competition: La Liga
- Date: 16th August 2026
- Kick-off: 16:00 UK / 17:00 CEST
- Venue: Campos de Sport de El Sardinero
La Liga is back. Real Racing Club and Villarreal clash on Sunday. History favors the visitors heavily here. Villarreal usually controls this fixture, but write Racing off at your own peril. They actually stunned the Yellow Submarine in the cup last December. I caught that game on a rainy weeknight; Racing's energy was absolutely electric. Villarreal looked completely rattled. Will we see another massive upset in Santander, or will the favorites stamp their authority? Let's dissect the metrics, predicted lineups, and tactical matchups to uncover the smartest betting angles for this weekend's showdown.
Racing Santander vs Villarreal Head to Head (H2H) stats
-
Racing Santander
2 : 1
Villarreal
Copa Del Rey
-
Villarreal
1 : 0
Racing Santander
La Liga 2
-
Racing Santander
0 : 3
Villarreal
La Liga 2
-
Villarreal
1 : 1
Racing Santander
La Liga
-
Racing Santander
1 : 0
Villarreal
La Liga
-
Racing Santander
2 : 2
Villarreal
La Liga
Villarreal hold a distinct edge over Real Racing Club in their last ten competitive matches. They secured six victories. Racing Santander managed only three. Their recent 10 encounters averaged 2.00 goals per game. Crucially, the most recent clash resulted in a tight 2-1 victory for Racing Santander.
Racing Santander team overview
Racing Santander prepares for this one on the back of a spectacular promotional campaign that saw them conquer Segunda División.
Los Racinguistas are finally back in the big time. José Alberto López's men absolute tore up the second tier last season, capping off their championship run with an emphatic 4-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijón during their summer warmups.
Preseason was a bit of a rollercoaster, though; they got thoroughly outclassed in 3-0 defeats by Wolves and Bilbao. Honestly, I watched parts of those matches, and their defensive lines looked pretty disorganized under pressure.
Last year at El Sardinero, they were virtually untouchable, finishing the season on a fiery five match winning streak. Andrés Martín was their absolute main man, banging in a crucial 23 goals and 8 assists in the league. Exciting new Moroccan signing Yassir Zabiri is also fit and ready to fire up top.
Last matches of Racing Santander
-
Racing Santander
1 : 1
Alaves
Club Friendlies 3
-
Racing Santander
4 : 1
Sporting Gijon
Club Friendlies 3
-
Wolverhampton Wanderers
3 : 0
Racing Santander
Club Friendlies 3
-
Racing Santander
0 : 3
Athletic Bilbao
Club Friendlies 3
-
Osasuna
2 : 0
Racing Santander
Club Friendlies 3
Racing Santander lineup
Goalkeeper
-
1
Jokin Ezkieta
Defenders
-
2
Álvaro Mantilla
-
4
Manu Hernando
-
5
Pol Moreno
-
3
Saúl García
Midfielders
-
6
Aritz Aldasoro
-
8
Íñigo Sáinz-Maza
-
7
Marco Sangalli
Forwards
-
10
Iñigo Vicente
-
11
Andrés Martín
-
19
Yassir Zabiri
Villarreal team overview
Villarreal enters this one on the back of an encouraging preseason finale where they secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Galatasaray.
The Yellow Submarine enjoyed a highly impressive domestic campaign last term, finishing a stellar 3rd in La Liga to secure Champions League football.
Iñigo Pérez's men had mixed results during their summer tests, notably falling 3-1 to Lens before bouncing back in style. They beat Levante and Galatasaray 3-1 on aggregate, showing both good offensive play and defensive solidity.
On foreign soil last season, they were heavily inconsistent, finishing their travel schedule with a frustrating run of one win in seven away games.
Star forward Georges Mikautadze remains their undeniable key weapon up front, having racked up exactly 13 goals and 6 assists last year. Long-term absentee Juan Foyth remains sidelined with an Achilles injury.
Last matches of Villarreal
-
Galatasaray
1 : 2
Villarreal
Club Friendlies 1
-
Villarreal
1 : 0
Levante
Club Friendlies 3
-
RC Lens
3 : 1
Villarreal
Club Friendlies 3
-
PSV Eindhoven
1 : 3
Villarreal
Club Friendlies 1
-
Benfica
2 : 0
Villarreal
Club Friendlies 3
Villarreal lineup
Goalkeeper
-
13
Diego Conde
Defenders
-
2
Kiko Femenía
-
4
Willy Kambwala
-
3
Raúl Albiol
-
24
Alfonso Pedraza
Midfielders
-
18
Pape Gueye
-
14
Santi Comesaña
-
10
Dani Parejo
Forwards
-
7
Yeremy Pino
-
16
Álex Baena
-
9
Georges Mikautadze
Prediction
This opener screams goals. Villarreal's class will ultimately tell. They'll punish Racing's leaky defense early. I don't see the hosts keeping a clean sheet here; their preseason shape looked way too disorganized under pressure. However, Racing's electric home energy will help them snatch a goal back through sheer fight. It's going to be a wild, end-to-end battle. Expect a thrilling 2-1 victory for the Yellow Submarine.
Four reasons we expect three or more goals in this game
- Five of the last seven games of Racing Santander and Villarreal at this ground finished with over 2.5 goals.
- Villarreal have finished only one of their last nineteen games without conceding.
- Racing Club are without a clean sheet in their last eleven games across all competitions.
- Eight of the last eleven games of Racing finished with three or more goals.
Main prediction Racing Santander - Villarreal
Over 2.5 goals
Best Odds:
22bet
1.86
Racing Santander vs Villarreal standings in La Liga
| Regular Season | P | W | D | L |
G - A
|
GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celta de Vigo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Getafe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Málaga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Valencia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Rayo Vallecano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Deportivo A Coruña | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Osasuna | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Real Betis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Espanyol | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Real Sociedad | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Sevilla | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Elche | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Deportivo Alavés | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Levante | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Real Madrid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Villarreal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Atlético de Madrid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Racing Santander | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Athletic Club | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 - 0 | 0 | 0 |