Last Updated on April 22, 2026 12:56 pm by ZUWP Automation
Five matches without defeat for the hosts. Three losses in five for the visitors. Something has to give at the Tartiere.
Real Oviedo have not lost in their last five La Liga matches. Villarreal have lost three of theirs. The arithmetic of form could not be more starkly drawn ahead of Thursday’s fixture in Asturias, and the Tartiere will be expecting the hosts to extend a run that has quietly turned heads across the division.
Match Details
- Fixture: Real Oviedo vs Villarreal
- Venue: Estadio Nuevo Carlos Tartiere
- Date: 23 April 2026
- Competition: La Liga 2025/26
Current Form
Real Oviedo’s recent record reads: 3W 2D 0L in their last five. There is substance behind those numbers. A 2-0 win away at Celta de Vigo on 12 April was the headline result, but the wins over Sevilla and Valencia at the Tartiere before that tell a more complete story. This is a side winning matches they are supposed to win, and winning them without drama.
The draws against Levante (2-2 away) and Espanyol (1-1 away) are the only blemishes, and both came on the road. At home, Oviedo have been resolute. Goalkeeper Aarón Escandell is the top shot-stopper in the entire league with 133 saves this season, ranked first in La Liga. That wall behind the defence has been the foundation of everything.
Villarreal’s picture is considerably murkier. Their 2W 0D 3L return in the last five includes back-to-back away defeats to Deportivo Alavés (0-1) and Girona (0-1), and a 0-2 loss at Barcelona before that. The wins, a 2-0 home victory over Elche and a 2-0 away win at Athletic Club, are welcome but sandwiched around a pattern of fragility on the road that makes this trip to Oviedo genuinely problematic.
Key Players to Watch
Real Oviedo
Federico Viñas is the focal point of everything Oviedo build. Nine goals in 27 appearances, 39 shots, 21 on target, and an average rating of 6.94 across the season. His 9 big chances missed suggest there are goals left in him before the campaign ends. He wins duels, draws fouls, and holds the line; his 38 tackles are a remarkable number for a striker, evidence of how much defensive work Oviedo ask of their forward.
Santi Cazorla remains the creative heartbeat off the bench. In just 625 minutes of football, he has registered 16 key passes and created 2 big chances. His average rating of 5.51 from the Sportmonks aggregate understates his influence; the 18 key passes logged by the Sportmonks data point to a player who still changes games in short bursts.
Villarreal
Alberto Moleiro is Villarreal’s most complete attacking force. Nine goals and four assists in 30 appearances, with 29 key passes and 7 big chances created. His average rating of 6.96 is the highest of any outfield player on either side. He is the one Villarreal player capable of unlocking a well-organised defence on his own.
Georges Mikautadze provides the finishing at the other end of Villarreal’s attacks. Nine goals from 43 shots, with 25 on target. The concern is his 14 big chances missed this season; he is getting into the right positions but not always converting. Against Escandell, who has made 133 saves, that wastefulness could prove decisive.
Santi Comesaña is the engine Villarreal depend on in midfield. With 39 tackles, 23 interceptions, and 99 ball recoveries, he is the side’s most industrious defensive presence. His average rating of 6.87 across 30 appearances reflects consistent, if unspectacular, contribution. If Villarreal are to disrupt Oviedo’s rhythm, it runs through him.
Season Stats Comparison
The contrast in creative output is the sharpest statistical dividing line between these two sides. Villarreal’s Nicolas Pépé leads all players in big chances created with 10 (ranked 34th in La Liga), while Oviedo’s top creator, Federico Viñas, has 4. Yet Oviedo’s defensive organisation, anchored by the league’s busiest goalkeeper, has kept them competitive throughout. The table below captures the individual leaders on each side.
| Category | Real Oviedo | Villarreal |
|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Federico Viñas – 9 goals (25th in La Liga) | Alberto Moleiro – 9 goals (31st in La Liga) |
| Top Assister | Haissem Hassan – 3 assists | Alberto Moleiro – 4 assists (65th in La Liga) |
| Top Goalkeeper | Aarón Escandell – 133 saves (1st in La Liga) | Arnau Tenas – 6 saves (64th in La Liga) |
| Top Tackler | Federico Viñas – 38 tackles | Santiago Mouriño – 73 tackles (9th in La Liga) |
| Top Passer | David Carmo – 981 passes | Renato Veiga – 1,060 passes |
| Top Chance Creator | Federico Viñas – 4 big chances created | Nicolas Pépé – 10 big chances created (34th in La Liga) |
Escandell’s save count is the most telling number in that table. He has made 133 saves; the second-highest in the division has made 107. Oviedo have survived this season in part because their goalkeeper has been exceptional. Villarreal will need to test him early and often.
Head to Head
The head-to-head record between these two sides is minimal. There is only one previous meeting in the data: a 2-0 Villarreal home win on 15 August 2025, in the opening weeks of this very season. Villarreal won that encounter comfortably, but the Oviedo that arrives at the Tartiere on Thursday is a markedly different proposition from the side that fell in August. Three wins in their last five and a goalkeeper who leads the league in saves is not the same team Villarreal brushed aside at the start of the campaign.
Closing Paragraph
The central question this match poses is whether Villarreal’s creative firepower, led by Moleiro and Pépé, can finally find a way past the most overworked goalkeeper in La Liga. Oviedo’s unbeaten run has been built on defensive solidity and the kind of collective discipline that punishes sides who arrive expecting an easy afternoon. Villarreal have the individual quality to win this fixture. Whether they have the consistency is precisely what their recent form calls into doubt. Thursday evening at the Tartiere will answer that question plainly.
