Since the beginning of the season Atletico Madrid is yet to perform like a team that is among the top4 in the league their form has dropped and the team no longer has the motivation they use to have during their games and the manager is yet to get the solution to the problem of the team I won't be surprised if they fail to pick a point when they host Villarreal on the 14th of September. The bookmarkers still considered Atletico Madrid as the favourite to win with 1.93 odd while Villarreal is given 3.88, choosing x2 for Villarreal won't be a bad pick looking at their current form.
The main reason why bookies consider Atletico Madrid as the favorite is because Atletico Madrid's past performance against Villarreal is very good. Atletico Madrid last lost against Villarreal in 2022. They are undefeated in the last 5 matches. Atletico Madrid won two of them. However, the last two matches between these two teams have ended in draws. Moreover, this match is Atletico Madrid's home match. Atletico Madrid is also considered the favorite considering the home match.
Whatever, the favorite team is not always able to win. Atletico Madrid is not in good form at the moment, we have seen this in their first three matches. It is expected that Atletico Madrid's performance will improve after the international break. However, personally I do not think so. I would probably put my money in favor of Villarreal winning. The team disappointed me in the first three matches.