Champions League Preview: Villarreal vs Juventus – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Estadio de la Ceramica is the venue as Villarreal and Juventus go head-to-head in the Champions League round two. After failing to put three points on the board on the opening matchday, both teams will be looking to get off the mark.

Villarreal endured a rough start to their league phase journey, slumping to a narrow 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. However, Marcelino Garcia Toral’s men have since bounced back with three consecutive wins in La Liga, most recently beating Athletic Bilbao on home turf.

With momentum firmly on their side, Villarreal will be out to take a huge scalp and increase their chances of reaching the knockout stages. Though it may feel easier said than done, El Submarino Amarillo have history on their side in this matchup. Indeed, they’ve avoided defeat in both previous meetings with Juventus in the Champions League.

After a 1-1 draw in Spain, Juventus fell to a humiliating 3-0 home defeat in March 2022, resulting in a heart-wrenching last-16 elimination. Therefore, revenge will be at the forefront of Juventus’ mind here as they seek a return to winning ways after drawing three matches on the trot.

Igor Tudor’s side pulled off a stunning, late comeback in a 4-4 home draw against Borussia Dortmund in their curtain-raising Champions League fixture. Yet, they’ve since shared the spoils in back-to-back Serie A games against Hellas Verona and Atalanta, losing ground on new pacesetters Milan.

Match Preview

Villarreal

The abovementioned heartbreak at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium marked Villarreal’s ninth defeat across their last 13 outings in the Champions League group/league phase (W3, D1). Despite returning to the home comforts of their famous Ceramica Stadium, El Submarino Amarillo cannot take anything for granted.

Indeed, they have only won two of their last 12 Champions League matches in the Province of Castellon (D5, L5). Furthermore, those five defeats arrived in the nine most recent clashes at La Ceramica. However, Marcelino’s team can draw confidence from registering their first clean sheet in six games on the eve of this encounter.

Despite Marcelino’s entertaining style of play, nine of Villarreal’s last 12 Champions League fixtures have produced under 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring contest. Furthermore, they head into proceedings on the back of eight consecutive home wins, conceding only five goals during that stretch.

Juventus

Despite netting four goals in a Champions League match for the first time in four years, Juventus couldn’t take three points against Dortmund last time out. However, Tudor’s charges demonstrated an incredible bounce-back ability in that clash, fighting back three times to avoid defeat, including two injury-time goals.

Juventus will need that fighting spirit today if they’re to defy their disappointing traveling record in the Champions League. The Turin giants have emerged victorious from just one of their last ten away games at Europe’s top table (D4, L5), underscoring the size of the task ahead.

On the contrary, they went unbeaten in all four road matches in last season’s league phase (W1, D3). Moreover, they’ve racked up a win and a draw on two road trips this season. Entertainment has been relatively sparse as six of Juventus’ last seven away games produced under 2.5 goals.

Team News

Villarreal will be without injured defenders Willy Kambwala and Juan Foyth. Meanwhile, Pau Navarro is away on international duty with Spain at the Under-20 World Cup. Marcelino is still sweating over Gerard Moreno and Ayoze Perez, as they’re not 100% fit.

As for Juventus, long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik and Fabio Miretti are not in contention for the starting line-up. The same goes for Gleison Bremer, who sustained another injury against Atalanta. Khephren Thuram is also out with a calf problem.

Villarreal vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups

Villarreal (4-4-2): Junior; Mourino, Marin, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Gueye, Comesana, Solomon; Pepe, Mikautadze

Juventus (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti, Kelly; Mario, Koopmeiners, Locatelli, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David.

Villarreal vs Juventus Prediction

Juventus take this trip undefeated in all competitions this season. Yet, Villarreal have been formidable at home and will likely give the Bianconeri a run for their money. We don’t expect the home side to stroll to victory, but we wouldn’t dare to rule out such a possibility.