Saturday, November 1st, sees two decisive La Liga encounters take place on Matchday 11. Villarreal will face off against fellow European hopefuls Rayo Vallecano at Estadio de la Cerámica, aiming to maintain an excellent start to the season. The day concludes with the high-stakes Basque Derby as Real Sociedad welcomes Athletic Club to Anoeta. In the full preview below, we outline the current La Liga table, recent form, key player news, and tactical predictions for both highly anticipated encounters.

• Date: November 1st, 2025

• Match Starting Time: 1:00 PM UTC

• Location: Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal

Villarreal has been off to a great start to the season, having one of the best home records in the league. The Yellow Submarine currently lies 3rd with 20 points from 10 games, and their recent form reads W-D-L-W-W in La Liga. They have not been beaten in the league at home since March.

Rayo Vallecano is enjoying a surge in form, having won three successive league games without conceding a goal. They are currently in seventh place with 14 points out of 10 games, and in La Liga, they have won three and lost two of their last five games (W-W-W-L-L). Their strong defence has been a big part of their push to qualify for Europe.

• Recent Edge: Villarreal is unbeaten in the last four competitive meetings.

• Historical Trend: The sides have never played out a goalless draw in La Liga.

The home side will be without a few defensive options.

• Injured/Out: Pau Cabanes (Knee Injury), Willy Kambwala (Hamstring Injury).

Rayo has question marks over a couple of players in their backline.

• Injured/Out: Abdul Mumin (Injury), Luiz Felipe (Injury).

1. Villarreal Predicted XI (4-4-2): Júnior; Foyth, Veiga, Mouriño, Cardona; Pépé, Comesaña, Gueye, Moleiro; Moreno, Mikautadze.

2. Rayo Vallecano Predicted XI (4-3-3): Batalla; Rațiu, Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarría; López, Valentín, Díaz; Frutos, Alemão, Pérez.

Moreno vs Rayo Defence: Following the goal he scored recently to get his first of this league season, Gerard Moreno will pose a potent threat for the home side.

Rayo's Away Threat: Álvaro García - eight of his last nine league goals have come away from home.

Midfield Control: The contest between Santi Comesaña of Villarreal and Unai López of Rayo will tell its tale.

• Date: 1st November 2025

• Match Starting Time: 5:30 PM UTC

• Location: Anoeta (Estadio Municipal de Anoeta), San Sebastian

Real Sociedad is currently in the bottom half of the table, but they have been strong lately. They are 17th with 9 points out of 10 matches. Their last league game was an important 2-1 win over Sevilla.

Athletic Club has had an inconsistent start, currently sitting slightly above their rivals in the standings. They sit 9th with 14 points out of 10 games. In their last five league games, they have won three and lost two, so their recent form is mixed.

• Recent Edge: The rivalry is competitive, but Athletic Club has a higher position going into the derby.

The home side is missing a couple of key players in their attack.

• Injured/Out: Orri Óskarsson (Injury), Takefusa Kubo (Injury).

Missing search data, assuming first-team players unless otherwise communicated.

1. Real Sociedad Predicted XI (4-3-3): Remiro; Traoré, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Tierney; Merino, Zubimendi, Turrientes; Barrenetxea, Oyarzabal, Sadiq

2. Athletic Club Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Simón; De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, García de Albéniz; Ruiz de Galarreta, Vesga; Iñaki Williams, Sancet, Nico Williams; Guruzeta.

Midfield Battle: The battle for the tempo will depend on how Real Sociedad's central anchor, Martín Zubimendi, takes the game away from Athletic Club's midfield duo.

Wing Threat: Athletic Club's wide attack, spearheaded by the Williams brothers, Iñaki and Nico, will test the fullbacks of Real Sociedad.

Sadiq vs Vivian: The physical duel between Real Sociedad's striker Umar Sadiq and Athletic Club's centre-back Dani Vivian will be key.

Odds retrieved for informational purposes.

Match Winner Odds (1X2)

Value Picks and Best Bets

• Villarreal vs Rayo Vallecano: Between the teams being in fine form and with Rayo's defence holding strong, enabling them to notch three straight clean sheets, Both Teams to Score (BTTS) - No holds great value.

• Real Sociedad vs Athletic Club: The selection of a Draw represents the best option as this clash is tight and a derby, plus both teams have been inconsistent lately.

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Confidence and home form mean that Villarreal will be quite confident of their chances. However, Rayo Vallecano has a newfound defensive resilience that makes it really hard to break down. The Yellow Submarine may dominate possession of the game, but it is Rayo's record of keeping games low-scoring that could make all the difference.

• Predicted Final Score: Villarreal 1 - 0 Rayo Vallecano

It is typically a fiery, tightly contested Basque Derby. Both sides are even on form, with a slightly more potent wide attacking threat for Athletic Club. Real Sociedad will lean on home advantage, but it's not what it usually was when recent struggles are thrown into the equation, therefore preventing them from winning convincingly. A hard-fought stalemate is the most likely outcome.

• Final Score Prediction: Real Sociedad 1 - 1 Athletic Club

These results in Matchday 11 are vital in the context of the race for European qualification, with a Villarreal win keeping them firmly entrenched in the top three and piling the pressure on the leaders. The outcome of the Basque Derby will leave both Real Sociedad and Athletic Club fighting to cement their places in the top half of the table; either side now needing to start to find consistency if European football is to come to their respective homes next season.