Leeds United vs Villarreal
Leeds United will return to Elland Road this Saturday to host La Liga side Villarreal in their next Club Friendly, as they continue to prepare for the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
Daniel Farke’s side has had a promising preseason so far, as the Whites come into this match undefeated. Leeds United held Manchester United to a goalless draw nearly two weeks ago at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, and they will aim to maintain their momentum. Previously, the Whites had won 4-1 against SC Verl and 3-2 against Paderborn.
On the other hand, Villarreal are winless so far this preseason. After back-to-back draws against Basel (3-3) and St. Gallen (2-2), the Yellow Submarine suffered a 1-0 loss against Sporting last weekend, and Marcelino Garcia Toral’s men are aching for a victory.
This may only be an exhibition game, but SBOTOP football fans can expect a highly contested game filled with Club Friendly 2025 highlights, according to the latest Club Friendly 2025 odds.
Talking Points
Leeds United continue to stack up
Leeds United have been busy reinforcing their squad ahead of their anticipated return to the Premier League, and head coach Daniel Farke plans to integrate his newest signings as soon as possible. Since their club friendly against Manchester United, the Whites added two more players in Anton Stach and Lucas Perri.
Stach has been one of the standout players for Hoffenheim, scoring four goals and six assists in 71 appearances since joining the Bundesliga club in 2023. Leeds United reportedly paid £17.4 million for him, and the 26-year-old playmaker would surely beef up the team’s midfield depth, especially after the team just added Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United a few weeks before.
The Whites have also added Lucas Perri to their ranks, making him their seventh signing this summer transfer window. The 27-year-old Brazilian international has joined from Lyon in a transfer worth £15.6 million.
Perri played 45 games across all competitions for Lyon last campaign, keeping 13 clean sheets, as the Ligue 1 side secured a European football berth by finishing sixth in the French top-flight. The 6’5″ shot stopper is a massive presence between the sticks, and he is poised to take over as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper over Ilian Meslier and Karl Darlow.
Stach and Perri could make their first cameos for Leeds United against Villarreal. But, in other team news, the Whites will miss the services of fellow new signing Sebastiaan Bornauw, as the centre-back is dealing with a quadriceps injury.
Villarreal might feature latest permanent signing
Villarreal have been active sellers this summer, as they cashed in on Thierno Barry and Alex Baena for a reported combined fee of €72 million, which should help fund the team’s rebuild. In return, they just signed Tajon Buchanan to a permanent deal, paying only €9 million to Inter Milan.
The 26-year-old Canadian international joined Villarreal on loan last February after not getting enough opportunities with the Nerazzurri. He hasn’t done much at the Yellow Submarine, but the club made Buchanan’s move permanent because he left a good impression, and because of the team’s notable outgoings this summer.
The permanent move opens an opportunity for Buchanan to make a name for himself ahead of next year’s World Cup. He has already made 13 appearances for Villarreal, scoring one goal and adding two assists.
History
Saturday marks only the second competitive meeting between Leeds United and Villarreal. These two teams last met in a club friendly in August 2021, as the Whites prepared for their second straight Premier League campaign. Leeds United had Marcelo Bielsa as their manager, and Villarreal had Unai Emery on the other side.
The two teams shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw. Gerard Moreno gave the Yellow Submarine the one-goal lead after scoring the first goal of the contest in the first minute, but the Whites reclaimed the lead through goals from Mateusz Klich and Patrick Bamford before halftime. Dani Raba restored order for Villarreal by scoring the equaliser in the 80th minute.
Leeds United secured their Premier League promotion in 2020 after a 16-year absence. However, after spending three seasons in the English top-flight, the Whites were relegated back to the Championship. After losing to Southampton in the play-off final last year, the Whites are back after topping the 2024-25 Championship table with a whopping 100 points, level with second-seeded Burnley.
Meanwhile, Villarreal are fresh from a Top 5 finish last term. The Yellow Submarine clinched their return to the Champions League after accumulating 70 points in La Liga, level with fourth-seeded Athletic Bilbao.
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