Villarreal and Juventus will both be desperate to get their first three points of their UEFA Champions League campaigns when they clash at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Wednesday night, Neither side managed to win their opening group games, and another slip here could leave qualification hopes hanging by a thread, Softfootball reports
Marcelino García’s Villarreal were edged out 1-0 by Tottenham in the opening night, a result that continued their recent struggles in this elite competition. The Yellow Submarine have now lost nine of their last 13 UCL group/league phase outings.
Playing at home has proven to be a little comfort either just two wins from their last 12 UCL games at La Cerámica, with five of those defeats coming in the most recent nine. Still, they doing well domestically, stringing together three straight wins, including a hardfought 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend that saw them earn their first clean sheet in six games.
Juventus, meanwhile, opened their ucl campaign with a eletrifying 4-4 draw at home against Dortmund. The Bianconeri showed character by coming from behind three times, including twice in stoppage time, but questions remain about their defensive frailties.
Igor Tudor’s men have struggled on the road in Europe, winning only once in their last ten UCL away games. However, they did remain unbeaten across the group phase last season. and their current form shows resilience – they are unbeaten away from home this term . A 1-1 draw with Atalanta on Saturday was their third straight stalemate, showing their likelness to share the spoils recently.
Interestingly,Villarreal famously knocked out Juventus from Champions League in 2021/22, winning 4-1 on aggregate in the knockout play-off round. The Spaniards have also faced Italian opponents on matchday two in both of their previous UCL league phase appearances but failed to win any of them.
Team News
Villarreal will once again look to Nicolas Pépé, who has consistently been a threat in European competition. He has attempted two or more shots in six of his last seven continental outings, and his goal scoring record is a good omen Villarreal have won four of the five European matches in which he has found the net, scoring 3 or more goals each time.
Interestingly, it’s been a while since the yellow submarines qualified for the ucl with their last appearance coming way back in 2022 where they defeated wednesday opponents Juventus, Villarreal via its official X handle, shared in a post that the club is excited for the champions league night return to the Estadio de la Cerámica, see post below;
For Juventus, Dušan Vlahović is the danger man. He has scored his last seven club goals after the break, though he also netted the opener against Villarreal in their previous European meeting after just 33 seconds. Villarreal’s long injury list remains unchanged, while Juventus report no fresh concerns.
Possible lineups
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Junior; Mourino, Marin, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Gueye, Comesana, Solomon; Pepe, Mikautadze
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; Mario, Thuram, Locatelli, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David
Meanwhile, Juventus will also be looking forward to exact revenge for the 4-1 thumping on aggregate they suffered in the hands of Villarreal, the team via its official X handle, posted that the team is ready for its first away ucl game of the season, see post below;
SoftFootball’s Prediction
With both sides low on confidence in Europe, this could be a tense affair. Villarreal’s strong recent league form and home advantage may balance out Juventus’ experience, but another draw feels likely given both teams’ struggles to finish games off.
Prediction: Villarreal 1-1 Juventus
