Villarreal will be looking to register their first win of the 2021-22 Champions League campaign as they travel to take on Young Boys on Wednesday.
The game against Villarreal is a very important one for David Wagner’s men after conceding a 1-0 defeat against Atalanta in their latest Champions League outing. They sit second in Group E and will need to make the most of their home advantage to keep Villarreal at the bottom of the group.
The above visual shows the expected threat that the Young Boys players created with their passes and dribbles. A couple of players had a high xT from their passes and were able to put in great passes. Elia had a high xT from the dribbles he attempted but failed to make the right pass.
The Young Boys defenders have a high success rate in winning defensive duels and have been able to avoid most of the attacks their opposition have attempted. Their defence will face a tough competition against the Villareal attackers.
Young Boys have an array of injury problems heading into this important fixture against Villarreal. They are without as many as six players who are sidelined due to injuries.
Villareal sit 11th in La Liga after losing 1-2 to Osasuna at home in their latest outing. They have won just two of their 11 games so far this term and need to desperately get back to winning ways. They drew 2-2 against Atalanta in an entertaining game at the Ceramica on their return to Europe’s top tier before suffering late heartbreak in Manchester on matchday 2. Villarreal could have been out of sight in a game they led through Paco Alcacer but ended up being pegged back by the Premier League side, eventually losing out to a dramatic 95th-minute winner from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Villareal have had a very high number of shots on target as they have 15 shots on goal so far in their two games. Villareal could have finished the game in the first half itself but did not take advantage of the chances they created against Manchester United. In order to win against Young Boys, they will have to be clinical in front of goal and finish the chances they create.
This leaves us at a pretty much must-win situation for Villarreal here. Unai Emery’s men have collected only one point from the opening two rounds and they cannot afford slip-ups against Young Boys.
Young Boys have lost just one of their 13 matches so far this season. Villarreal, on the other hand, have won just two of their 11. Young Boys have fared well at home while Unai Emery’s men haven’t won on the road up until now this term. This will be a tightly contested affair but Young Boys are likely to nick it.
Young Boys predicted starting lineup:
Ballmoos, Garcia, Lauper, Camara, Hefti, Sierro, Pereira, Aebischer, Ngamaleu, Siebatcheu, Elia.
Villarreal predicted starting lineup:
Rulli, Moreno, Torres, Albiol, Foyth, Coquelin, Capoue, Parejo, Danjuma, Moreno, Pino.
