LIVE: Atletico Madrid vs Villarreal – Follow Ademola Lookman, Pépé, scores, goals, & La Liga result

Atlético Madrid welcome Villarreal to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano this evening as both sides look to make an early statement in the 2026/2027 La Liga campaign, Afrik-Foot reports.

Diego Simeone’s side opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over newly promoted Málaga last weekend, while Villarreal were held to a 2-2 draw away at Racing Santander after recovering from two goals down.

The fixture also brings two African attackers into focus, with Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman leading the line for Atlético and Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pépé starting for Villarreal.

Follow the Atlético Madrid vs Villarreal live match here:

Atlético come into the fixture with three points already on the board after goals from Lee Kang-in and Álex Baena secured victory against Málaga in their opening league game.

Villarreal will be looking for an improved defensive performance after conceding twice in the opening half against Racing, although their second-half response showed the attacking threat available to new coach Iñigo Pérez.

The Yellow Submarine will also draw confidence from their most recent meeting with Atlético. Villarreal produced a stunning 5-1 victory when the sides last met in May, although Atlético had won the previous encounter 2-0 at the Metropolitano.

The overall La Liga head-to-head record remains closely contested, with Atlético holding 11 victories to Villarreal’s eight, alongside 11 draws in the broader league record.

Ademola Lookman starts for Atlético

Lookman has been named in Simeone’s starting XI for the second consecutive La Liga match.

The Nigerian is expected to operate as Atlético’s central attacking outlet, with Giuliano Simeone and Lee Kang-in providing support around him. The confirmed lineup also includes Jan Oblak, Robin Le Normand, Dávid Hancko, Álex Grimaldo, and Koke.

For Lookman, the match is another opportunity to establish himself quickly in Simeone’s system after being asked to shoulder greater attacking responsibility in the absence of some of Atlético’s established forwards.