Welcome to our LIVE coverage of Real Madrid's match against Villarreal - a game which could see Rafa Benitez's men close up to just two points off the top, should they eke out a victory.

Villarreal deserve to be leading at this stage. They were the better team in the first half, and Real Madrid will be somewhat thankful that they are not two or three goals down.

The second half is under way at El Madrigal! Villarreal hold a 1-0 lead over Real Madrid after the opening 45 minutes.

What did you make of the first half from El Madrigal? Are Villarreal good value for their lead? Does Benitez need to make a change to shift the dynamic of this match? Tweet me!

HALF-TIME: Villarreal 1-0 Real Madrid. The hosts head into the break with the lead. They have been the better of the two teams, with Bakambu and Dos Santos shining bright.

There's a rush of excitement around the Madrigal whenever Villarreal get the ball on the counter attack. They have so much pace and threat when they come out hard and fast.

The tempo from this game has dropped significantly in the last few minutes, and that will suit Villarreal just fine. I'd imagine they will want to see this out until the break now.

Villarreal are a very adaptable team. They are good when playing the high-pressing game, they are good when sitting deep to absorb pressure and they are good when attacking on the break.

Ronaldo and Bale need to take a grip of this game, but the problem there is that neither of them have had the service so far. Modric has had a poor game so far. Slow on the ball.

That was some tackle. Marcelo looked set to surge into the Villarreal penalty area, but Dos Santos arrived on the scene to make the sliding tackle and won the ball completely clean!

BIG CHANCE FOR BAKAMBU! The ball falls at the young striker's feet, but he shoots over the bar. Soldado wanted that ball played square to him. He should have done better!

Remember, you can contact me throughout the game to let me know your thoughts. Has Benitez got his team selection wrong? How highly do you rate Bakambu? Tweet me!

That's actually how I would describe what Real Madrid are at the moment - a team without much structure. And that is surprising for a side managed by Benitez. Very odd, indeed.

Sometimes it's as if Real Madrid are simply too fluid in the attacking third. They have players who switch and swap positions with each other, but that means that there isn't much structure.

Real Madrid are lacking a link between the midfield and attack. That's where they need Bale to take a grip of the match as the number 10. They need more creativity through the middle.

YELLOW CARD: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)

The referee has generally been pretty lenient tonight. I can understand why he would wish to do that, but there have been a couple of challenges that should have seen a yellow card.

THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YELLOW! Trigueros appeared to stamp his foot into the ankle of Benzema as the two players went for the same ball. But the referee decides it's not a booking.

Bakambu gives Villarreal a great option on the counter attack. All they need to do is drop a ball in behind the Real Madrid backline and the 24-year-old will make it. Real threat.