Villarreal and Atlético de Madrid meet at La Cerámica on 23 May with third place in LaLiga 2025-2026 on the line, and the margin is simple: Villarreal must win to finish third. Any other result will leave Atlético in third, turning the final night of the season into a direct fight for position as both clubs arrive level on 69 points.
The match also carries two farewells. Marcelino García will coach Villarreal for the last time after seven seasons across two separate spells, while Antoine Griezmann is set for his final appearance for Atlético in what will be his 501st match for the club. Griezmann is leaving for Orlando City and will start in attack alongside Ademola Lookman, with Alexander Sorloth on the bench. Villarreal, meanwhile, will try to end a seven-year run without beating Atlético at La Cerámica.
The stakes are sharp because this is not a title race or a rescue mission. Villarreal had already secured a place in the Champions League, but the club still has a chance to close with third place if it can do what it has not managed at home against Atlético in the last seven years. Atlético arrives with the edge from the first leg, a 2-0 win at the Metropolitano, and Diego Simeone’s side has enough recent form to feel comfortable after winning its last two matches while Villarreal has lost its last two.
Both managers are also dealing with absences that reshape the night. Villarreal will be without Santi Comesaña and Juan Foyth, and Gerard Moreno is doubtful. Atlético has eight confirmed absences, including José María Giménez, Nahuel Molina, Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo Mendoza, Nico González and Johnny Cardoso, while Robin Le Normand is suspended after five yellow cards. Juan Musso is set to start in goal, and Julián Álvarez is unavailable because of an ankle sprain.
The broader picture still favors Atlético. Simeone’s team has finished in the top three in 12 of his 13 full seasons in charge, with 2023-2024 the lone exception when Girona ended third and Atlético finished fourth. That record is why third place would feel like a routine finish for the visitors and a missed chance for Villarreal, even in a season that already brought the yellow submarine into the Champions League. For Griezmann, the night brings a different kind of weight: after 501 matches and a run as Atlético’s all-time leading scorer, one of the club’s defining players is leaving with one last league game to play.
