Racing Santander vs Villarreal — Tips & Analysis

Over 2.5: Racing Santander are back in the top flight after 14 years, and the way they got here points to goals. They score more than 2 goals a game and let in almost 2. Their games produce just over 4 goals between the two teams, and 11 of their last 14 had 3 or more. Racing earned all of that in the second division, so those numbers may look bigger than they really are. The habit still matters. They will push forward on their first top flight night at El Sardinero in 14 years, and that leaves gaps behind them. Villarreal are the side to punish it. They finished third in La Liga last season and kept their best players together. They score almost 2 goals a game, and 10 of their last 16 games had 3 or more in them. A 1-2 to Villarreal is the most likely finish, and three goals is the busy night we are after. Two things could ruin it. The last 5 meetings between these two averaged under 3 goals in total, and Villarreal score only just over a goal a game on the road. Racing have also been off for 77 days, and rusty teams often start careful rather than open. We still expect this one to break open.