After pulling off the shocking result of the round-of-16 in the 4-1 aggregate defeat of Juventus, Villarreal were rewarded with a plum tie against German giants Bayern Munich, who they host in Spain on Wednesday at 20:00GMT.
Match Preview
Can Villarreal Continue Punching Above their Weight against Bayern Munich?
Villarreal are 7th on the La Liga table and they have lost three of their last five fixtures in the league.
Unai Emery’s side will be hoping to continue with their European campaign at the expense of German giants Bayern Munich.
After shocking Juventus 3-1 in the second leg of their round-of-16 tie, Emery’s men will be confident to face the German Bundesliga leaders.
Can the Bavarians Take a Strong Step towards the Semi-finals by Winning in Spain?
Bayern Munich, unbeaten in the last five outings, will be hoping to continue with their fine form in the Champions League quarter final first leg clash with Villarreal in Spain.
Julian Nagelsmann will be aware that his side are the tie’s favourites.
They will, therefore, focus on stamping out any complacency out of the squad by pointing out the spectacular 4-1 win Unai Emery’s side achieved against Juventus in the round-of-16.
Form Guide
Villarreal
Villarreal have been in poor domestic form where they have collected 6 points out of the available 15 in the last 5 fixtures.
This run of form has seen them drop to 7th on the table, some 12 points behind 4th placed Sevilla.
Unai Emery’s side have also lost three matches in the last four La Liga outings, including two consecutive defeats against Cadiz (1-0) and Levante (2-0).
Emery will be hoping to put this form behind them in the clash against Bayern Munich as he motivates his side to bolster their performance against one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have collected 11 points and dropped 4 in their last 5 Bundesliga outings.
This run of form has seen the Bavarians establish a commanding nine-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga and ahead of faltering second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich have been in devastating form in the Champions League, especially at the Allianz Arena. This was the case in the round-of-16 against RB Salzburg when they overcame their shocking 1-1 result away from home with a devastating 7-1 hammering of the Austrian side.
Julian Nagelsmann will be hoping to take a commanding result from the first leg in Spain ahead of their second leg in front of the Allianz Arena crowd.
Team News
Villarreal
Unai Emery will be missing the services of left-back Alberto Moreno, who is recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament since March 6th, 2022.
Emery will have the rest of the squad available for selection ahead of the clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich
Julian Nagelsmann has most of his squad fit and available for selection. However, he will be without the services of left-back Alphonso Davies; the 21-year-old has been side-lined with a heart condition and is a doubt to feature in Spain on Wednesday.
Centre-forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is also a doubt after testing positive for coronavirus on March 31st.
Possible Starting Lineups
Villarreal
Rulli; Alfonso, P. Torres, R. Albiol, J. Foyth; M. Trigueros, D. Prejo, E. Capoue, Y. Pino; A. Groeneveld, G. Moreno
Bayern Munich
Neuer; L. Hernandez, D. Upamecano, T. Nianzou, B. Pavard; L. Goretzka, J. Kimmich; K. Coman, T. Muller, L. Sane; R. Lewandowski
Players to Watch
Arnaut Groeneveld Danjuma
Danjuma has grabbed 13 goals and 4 assists in 28 appearances for Villarreal this season. The Dutch Nigerian-born international has been a major asset for Villarreal’s run in the Champions League.
The 25-year-old’s partnership with Gerard Moreno has been the reliable approach used by Unai Emery’s side in winning matches.
Danjuma will be crucial for Villarreal in the clash with Bayern.
R. Lewandowski
With 43 goals and 4 assists in 36 appearances for Bayern Munich, Lewandowski is one of the most lethal strikers in world football.
The Polish international will be central to Bayern’s bid to beat Villarreal on Wednesday.
Prediction
Expect Bayern Munich to dominate possession and push Villarreal back to their half. Bayern will also press incessantly to force Villarreal into making defensive mistakes.
Unai Emery’s side will be pragmatic and prioritise solidity against Bayern. They will defend deep and opt to use counter-attacks and set pieces to trouble Bayern.
A Bayern Munich win is the favoured result in this fixture.
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