Juventus will be looking for their first UEFA Champions League win this season when they travel to Spain to square off against Villarreal.
Juventus were involved in an eight-goal thriller on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League, as they stole a point in sensational fashion. Now, they will be looking to build on it and secure all three points against Villarreal, who started the new season with a defeat.
The home team have had a sensational start to the new season. They are third in La Liga, with five wins and a draw in their seven outings. However, they did not have the best of starts to their Champions League campaign, as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Matchday 1.
The Yellow Submarine were not clinical enough in the final third, and they will have to put up a much-improved performance against Juventus, who have been in fine form of late. The Old Lady are unbeaten in the Serie A with three wins and two draws in their five outings. They kick-started their Champions League campaign in sensational fashion as two injury-time strikes helped them secure a point against Borussia Dortmund (4-4).
However, having failed to win any of their last three outings, the Turin-based outfit certainly have their task cut out. The Bianconeri will most likely go all out to claim all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Villarreal
The home team will be without the services of Willy Kambwala and Juan Foyth. Meanwhile, Pau Navarro is on international duty, representing Spain at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Gerard Moreno and Ayoze Perez are major doubts for this fixture.
Villarreal will stick with the 4-4-2 formation, where Luiz Junior will take charge in goal. Santiago Mourino and Sergi Cardona will feature as the full-backs, while Renato Veiga will pair up with Rafa Marin at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Tajon Buchanan and Manor Solomon will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks. Santi Comesana will start alongside Pape Gueye in a more central role in the centre of the park. The quartet will look to shield the backline and ensure Juventus do not dominate the proceedings. Finally, Nicolas Pepe will start alongside Georges Mikautadze in the strike partnership.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Junior; Mourino, Marin, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Gueye, Comesana, Solomon; Pepe, Mikautadze
Juventus
Igor Tudor will be without the services of Fabio Miretti. Meanwhile, Gleison Bremer and Khephren Thuram will undergo late fitness tests to determine their availability. Francisco Conceicao is back in training and could start here.
Against Villarreal, Juventus will stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation, where Michele Di Gregorio will be in goal. In the heart of the defence, Gleison Bremer will start alongside Pierre Kalulu and Lloyd Kelly.
Joao Mario and Andrea Cambiaso will feature as the wing-backs. Meanwhile, the midfield unit will have Manuel Locatelli will pair up with Khephren Thuram in a more central role in the middle of the park.
Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz will be the two attacking midfielders behind Jonathan David, who will lead the line for Juventus against Villarreal. Conceicao and Yildiz will have a free role, where they could drift wide as well as look to infiltrate from the middle.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly; Mario, Thuram, Locatelli, Cambiaso; Conceicao, Yildiz; David
Key Stats
- Wednesday’s match will be the third meeting between Villarreal and Juventus in the Champions League.
- Juventus are yet to win a game against the Yellow Submarine in the UEFA Champions League (D 1L1).
- Villarreal have only lost one out of their last nine home games in Europe (majority games in the UEFA Europa League).
- In the Champions League, the Spanish club have only won two out of their last 12 games at El Madrigal.
- Juventus have only won six out of their last 20 Champions League outings.
Player to Watch
Kenan Yildiz
At just 20, Yildiz has established himself as one of the mainstays in the Juventus first team. The Turkish sensation has had an impressive start to the new season. He has bagged two goals and four assists in his six outings so far.
He had two goal contributions in their UEFA Champions League outing against Borussia Dortmund last time out. Given the kind of form the young winger is in, he can certainly have a massive say on the end result of this fixture. Meanwhile, there could be multiple scouts present in the stands to watch him in action, and he will be eager to put on a show.
Prediction
Villarreal 1-3 Juventus
Juventus will be desperate to claim their first Champions League win of the season when they face Villarreal, and given their attacking form, they will back themselves to get the job done. Despite failing to win in their last three outings, the Old Lady have shown resilience and firepower, particularly in their dramatic 4-4 draw against Borussia Dortmund.
The Yellow Submarine, meanwhile, will be determined to bounce back from their narrow defeat to Tottenham. Their strong league form suggests they can pose problems, but their lack of cutting edge in the final third remains a concern. Against a Juventus side eager to make a statement, Villarreal could struggle to keep pace. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the away team.