A massive European night awaits at the Estadio de la Cerámica as Villarreal welcome Copenhagen, with both sides sitting outside the top 24 in the UEFA Champions League league phase. With matchday six now upon them, there is very little room left for mistakes.
Softfootball understands that Villarreal come into this clash in worrying UCL form, having picked up just one point so far. Their last outing ended in a heavy 4-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, which marked a third straight Champions League loss without scoring.
The defeat was expected, as highlighted by the Softfootball prematch report, but no one expected a big goal margin; their abysmal Champions League run also included a painful 2-nil defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
The Yellow Submarine have now won only three of their last 20 matches in this phase of the competition, which is hard reading for their fans. Still, there has been a slight domestic recovery with three straight league wins since that Dortmund setback, and Marcelino will be hoping that momentum carries over.
As revealed via the team’s official X account, Villarreal’s manager Marcelino stressed the importance of a victory over Copenhagen ahead of the encounter.
They posted:
Copenhagen arrive in slightly better shape with four points on the board, thanks mainly to their dramatic 3-2 win over Kairat Almaty last round. That result lifted them to 29th place, and another win here could suddenly push them right back into the qualification conversation.
However, their away form in this competition remains a major concern, with just two wins from their last 22 Champions League road games.
Team News
Villarreal will be without Juan Foyth due to suspension, which only adds to their injury problems with Gerard Moreno and Santiago Mouriño already sidelined. For Copenhagen, midfielder Lukas Lerager is suspended and will miss this crucial contest.
Possible Lineups
Villarreal: Junior; Navarro, Marin, Veiga, S Cardona; Buchanan, Parejo, Comesana, Akhomach; Mikautadze, A Perez
Copenhagen: Kotarski; Suzuki, Pereira, Hatzidiakos, Lopez; Clem, Madsen; Larsson, Claesson, Robert; Dadason
Softfootball’s Prediction
This is the first-ever meeting between these two clubs, but history slightly favours Villarreal, who have lost just once in six games against Danish sides.
Copenhagen, meanwhile, are still searching for their first-ever win against Spanish opposition. Villarreal have scored two or more goals in 11 of their last 13 home matches, while Copenhagen’s away games often stay tight. With that in mind, home advantage may just tilt this one.
Prediction: Villarreal 2-1 Copenhagen
