Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal Lineups: Confirmed Starting XIs for LaLiga Matchday 2

Confirmed Lineups for Matchday 2 at Estadio Metropolitano

Jan Oblak starts in goal, protected by a defensive backline consisting of Marc Pubill, Robin Le Normand, David Hancko, and Alejandro Grimaldo. In midfield, Koke anchors the center alongside Morten Hjulmand, Rodrigo Mendoza, and Giuliano Simeone, while Lee Kang-in and Ademola Lookman lead the attacking line.

Villarreal CF counters with Luiz Junior between the posts. The Yellow Submarines deploy a defensive four of Santiago Mourino, Juan Foyth, Renato Veiga, and Carlos Romero. In the midfield, Pape Gueye and Santi Comesana pair up, flanked by Nicolas Pepe and Alberto Moleiro on the wings. Ayoze Perez and Georges Mikautadze spearhead the attack for the visitors.

Team Form and Roster Context

Villarreal arrives in the capital seeking their first win of the campaign after playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Racing Santander on the opening weekend. During that fixture, Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe scored all four goals in a frantic first half for the Yellow Submarines, who are aiming to match their third-place finish from the previous season.

Substitutes and Squad Depth

Both managers possess deep bench options to alter the course of the match in the second half. Atlético Madrid’s substitutes include goalkeeper Juan Musso, José María Giménez, Johnny Cardoso, Pablo Barrios, Alex Baena, Carlos Martin, Marcos Llorente, Julián Alvarez, Jorge Domínguez, Dani Martínez, and Jorge Castillo. Villarreal’s bench features goalkeeper Peter Gulácsi, Logan Costa, Alex Freeman, Pau Navarro, Gerard Moreno, Ilias Akhomach, Tajon Buchanan, Tani Oluwaseyi, Sergi Cardona, Carlos Macia, and Cheikh Thiam.

Match Schedule and Global Kickoff

The fixture takes place on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain. For international audiences, the match kicks off at 8:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).