The Spanish Football Federation have appointed referee César Soto Grado as the man in charge of Saturday’s match between Villarreal and Real Madrid in La Liga.
Real Madrid have a 15-6-2 record with Soto Grado as the referee and the last time he was in charge
of a Real Madrid game was when Los Blancos beat Barcelona 2-1 in the last El Clásico played in La Liga. On the other hand, Villarreal have a 7-1-7 record when Soto Grado is the referee.
This match will be an intense one, so Soto Grado will be under heavy scrutiny from the fans. Villarreal have been performing at a very high level so far this season, so Real Madrid will need to take this game very seriously if they want to earn the three points.
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA
Date: 01/24/2026
Time: 21:00 CET, 03:00pm EST.
Venue: Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal, Spain.
Available TV: DAZN La Liga (Spain), ESPN Deportes (USA).
Available Streaming: ESPN+ (USA)
Managing Madrid has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.
