Thomas Partey marked his La Liga debut for Villarreal with a late substitute appearance in their 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo. The match, which opened Villarreal's La Liga season, saw Partey enter the field in the 82nd minute.

The former Arsenal midfielder joined Villarreal on August 7th after his contract with the Gunners expired in June. Prior to joining the Spanish club, the 32-year-old Ghanaian international had been granted conditional bail after facing charges of rape and sexual assault, which he denies.

Villarreal's victory over Real Oviedo was secured with goals from Etta Eyong and Pape Gueye. Eyong opened the scoring with a header in the 29th minute, shortly after Alberto Reina of Real Oviedo was sent off for a second yellow card. Gueye then doubled the lead before halftime.

The match was officiated by referee Alejandro Muniz, with Diego Sanchez and Fabian Blanco as assistant referees. Carlos del Cerro served as the VAR referee. The game took place at Estadio de la Ceramica in Villarreal, Spain.

Villarreal had a strong finish to the previous season, securing a Champions League spot. Real Oviedo, newly promoted to La Liga after winning the second division play-off final, will aim to establish themselves in the top flight.

Going into the match, predictions favored Villarreal, with one forecast giving them a 71% probability of winning. Sportskeeda correctly predicted a 2-0 victory for Villarreal. They highlighted Villarreal's impressive scoring record from the previous season, where they were the third-highest-scoring team in La Liga. Real Oviedo, in contrast, had the fewest goals of any team that made it into the promotion playoff spots in the Segunda Division.

Villarreal had won three of their previous nine meetings with Oviedo, with five draws and one victory for Oviedo. The last time the two clubs met in competitive action was in February 2001, where Villarreal won 3-1.