Oviedo’s New La Liga Adventure Starts Against Villarreal

Villarreal vs Oviedo

Oviedo are back in the Spanish top-flight after a 24-year absence, and they will have their first La Liga match of the 2025-26 campaign against Villarreal when they visit the Estadio de la Ceramica this Friday evening.

Veljko Paunovic’s side made it this far by finishing third in the Segunda Division standings last season with 75 points. They were level with fourth-seeded Mirandes, so they had to fight for the final La Liga berth in the two-legged playoff, which Oviedo won 3-2 on aggregate, despite losing 1-0 in the first leg.

Meanwhile, Villarreal have been a mainstay in La Liga, and they’re coming off a fifth-place finish last term with 70 points, level with fourth-seeded Athletic Bilbao, which secured their return to the Champions League.

A big first day awaits Oviedo, and SBOTOP breaks down how they’ll likely fare against the Yellow Submarine.

 

Talking Points

Who will take over for Villarreal?

Villarreal have endured a challenging offseason, as two of their best attackers left the team. The Yellow Submarine sold Alex Baena and Thierno Barry to Atletico Madrid and Everton, respectively, raking in roughly €72 million to fund their rebuild. Baena was the team’s top playmaker with seven league goals and 10 assists, while Barry had 11 league goals and four assists last season.

Ayoze Perez is expected to carry the scoring load for Villarreal, but he is questionable to play against Oviedo due to a hamstring injury. Villarreal aren’t likely to rush the 32-year-old forward back because of the tricky nature of hamstring injuries.

Gerard Moreno, Nicolas Pepe, and Dani Parejo have had their opportunities to lead Villarreal’s frontline this summer with mixed results. Manager Marcelino Garcia Toral has no choice but to continue to lean on them, but this could also mean more minutes for the likes of Etta Eyong, Yeremy Pino, Alberto Moleiro, and Tajon Buchanan.

​Villarreal only needed to shell out €25 million to acquire Eyong, Moleiro, and Buchanan, which could prove to be a massive bargain if they punch above their weight this season. The Yellow Submarine also added Thomas Partey, whose Arsenal contract expired this summer, to reinforce their midfield depth.

 

Cazorla still has something left in the tank for Oviedo

Oviedo owe much of their recent success to Santi Cazorla, who is still playing at a high level despite having just turned 40 last December. The wily veteran scored a pivotal penalty during the Segunda Division play-off final, which gave Los Cabaryones momentum to secure the victory. 

When Oviedo were in trouble financially in 2012, Cazorla and fellow former players Juan Mata, Michu, and Adrian offered financial support to save the club before Carlos Slim’s investment.

After spending the prime years of his career at Villarreal, Arsenal, and Al-Sadd, Cazorla wanted to spend his twilight years at Oviedo, and here we are.

 

History

As mentioned, Oviedo are back in La Liga for the first time in 24 years after securing a 3-2 aggregate victory over Mirandes in the Segunda Division play-off final. This happened a year after they lost in the play-off final in 2024. Los Cabaryones joined Elche and Levante in replacing Leganes, Las Palmas, and Valladolid this season.

Since they were relegated from La Liga in 2001, Oviedo experienced a challenging period because they had financial difficulties and experienced relegation to the fourth division. Oviedo were on the edge of the abyss in 2012, as they called on supporters to buy shares in the club. However, Mexican business oligarch Carlos Slim made a significant investment to take over the club. Oviedo rose to the Segunda Division in 2015 after a 13-year absence, and the rest is history.

Villarreal completed a league double against Oviedo in the 2000-01 campaign, winning by an aggregate of 4-1.

 

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2025 odds expect the hosts to dispatch their newly promoted visitors. Villarreal are 1.34 favourites to win, whereas Oviedo are huge 7.70 underdogs, and a draw is pegged at 4.39 in the 1X2 market. Our recommended option above is also one of the safest bets available.

Villarreal and Oviedo will likely entertain fans at Estadio de la Ceramica with a handful of La Liga 2025 highlights, so you can also go for alternatives such as Total Goal 2-3 at 2.00, Over 2.25 at 1.65, Over 2.50 at 1.89, and Over 2.75 at 2.17.  Furthermore, a Correct Score of 3-1 in favour of Villarreal – the result of their last Spanish top-flight meeting – could yield a handsome payday of 11.50 your bet.

   

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