Old stamping ground holds fears for Forlán

Danger posed
Both clubs have made excellent starts to their respective UEFA Champions League campaigns with almost identical records in this season's competition, but there are no such similarities on the league front. Villarreal remain unbeaten having made their best ever start in the top flight while their opponents on Sunday are eight points further back having lost three Liga games in a row. Despite those statistics, Villarreal's Santi Cazorla remains cautious ahead of the meeting. "We'll have to stay alert if we want to stop them as they have some great players," the 23-year-old said.

Final comparison 
The UEFA EURO 2008™-winning midfielder has played an important part in his team's domestic success this season scoring twice in seven appearances. Instead of focusing on the Yellow Submarine's start – they are just two points off leaders Valencia CF in third place – Cazorla was keen to point out the threat posed by Atlético and in particular one of their star players. "[Sergio] 'El Kun' Agüero is the key feature of their team and is very dangerous. [Atlético] have had a lot of injuries and a lot of games to play in a short space of time. For both teams this will feel like a final but I'm hoping that the three points will remain at the Madrigal."

New chapter
One player who is familiar with Villarreal's home ground is Diego Forlán who scored 54 goals in 105 league games during a three-season spell at the Castellon-based side. The Uruguayan subsequently sealed a move to Atlético in 2007, for a reported €21m, and fired 16 goals in his initial campaign for the club. Speaking about his team's poor Liga form this season, the 29-year-old said: "We know we haven't been playing well but now it's time for us to turn the page. There are still many games to go in the Liga and time for us to fight in order to start racking up points."

Good image
Those points need to start coming quickly for coach Javier Aguirre who has endured his worst start to a league season with Atlético since joining the club from CA Osasuna in 2006. After losses to Sevilla FC, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF, Villarreal is not the ideal place to visit in search of a morale-boosting victory, a fact highlighted by Forlán. "They're doing so well this season and making a great impression," he said. "You can see that they're a team that has been working together for a long time. I have great memories of playing there but now I'm an Atlético man and I'm very happy with that."