Real Madrid welcome Villarreal to the Bernabéu on Sunday evening in a La Liga fixture that has taken on genuine urgency for manager José Mourinho, with kick-off scheduled for 8:00pm BST.

The pressure on Mourinho

Seven games into the new La Liga season, Real Madrid find themselves in fourth place — already six points behind leaders Barcelona, who have dropped points in only 17 of their last 83 league matches under Hansi Flick. Defeats to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid have left Los Blancos chasing, and a second successive slip-up is not something Mourinho can entertain.

The one piece of positive news for the hosts is that Kylian Mbappé has been passed fit despite picking up an injury while on international duty. Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior also return from their respective national team commitments, giving Mourinho a near-full attacking arsenal to call upon.

Villarreal's own crossroads

Villarreal arrive in Madrid carrying some momentum of their own. After failing to win any of their opening five La Liga games, back-to-back victories over Malaga and Levante before the international break lifted the mood around the club. Even so, a defeat at the Bernabéu could push them further from the European places, compounding a difficult start to the campaign.

Manager Inigo Perez, who moved to Villarreal from Rayo Vallecano in the summer, is desperate to post a result that announces his side's ambitions. One player to watch closely is 23-year-old Alberto Moleiro, who scored twice and contributed two assists across those two wins before the break.

With Villarreal also hosting Napoli in the UEFA Champions League during the midweek, questions remain over where Perez's priorities lie — but few sides can afford to travel to the Bernabéu without full intent.

How to watch

Viewers in Brazil can catch the match for free on CazéTV's YouTube channel. In the UK, Disney+ holds the broadcasting rights and will show the fixture from its 8:00pm Saturday slot, with subscriptions available from £5.99 per month. US-based fans can watch on ESPN, where a Select package starts at $13.99 per month or $139.99 annually. Australian viewers can find the match on beIN Sports 3 via beIN Sports Connect, priced from AU$16.99 per month.

Fans outside their home country can use a VPN service such as Proton VPN — based in Switzerland and with servers in 145 countries — to access their usual streaming platform from abroad.

FourFourTwo's prediction

FourFourTwo predict a 2-2 draw, suggesting something is not quite right at Real Madrid and that three points will not be forthcoming this weekend.