Villarreal are bidding to bounce back from a poor start to their domestic campaign. They take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League at Westfalenstadion on Tuesday.

Injury-hit Borussia Dortmund hoping to build on late fightback

Borussia Dortmund extended their bright opening to the Bundesliga with a 3-2 comeback win over Hoffenheim on Saturday. Serhou Guirassy was the inspiration with a goal and an assist in the second half.

Marcel Sabitzer and Ethan Nwaneri will be deployed in support of Guirassy here, while Julian Ryerson has a key role on the right flank. He registered 15 assists in 31 appearances in last season’s German top flight.

Niko Kovač’s options are limited by selection issues. Justin Lerma, Emre Can, Giannis Konstantelias and Nico Schlotterbeck are confirmed absentees. Filippo Mané is also a major doubt after suffering a thigh injury at the weekend.

Borussia Dortmund predicted lineup vs Villarreal (3-4-2-1): Kobel; Gadou, Anton, Svensson; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Beier; Nwaneri, Sabitzer; Guirassy.

Goalkeeper issues for winless Villarreal

Iñigo Pérez has made a slow start after replacing Marcelino as Villarreal coach in the summer. The ex-Rayo Vallecano boss suffered a fresh setback at the weekend as some errors from keeper Luiz Júnior contributed to a 3-2 loss at home to Deportivo La Coruña.

The experienced Péter Gulácsi is therefore pushing to make his debut for the Yellow Submarine in goal. Pérez could also hand recalls to Georges Mikautadze and Santi Comesaña, with some changes expected for the trip to Germany.

Juan Foyth is the only injury concern for the visitors, who will be looking to Pape Gueye to cover a lot of ground in midfield. The Senegal international scored five times in La Liga 2025/26, while averaging 1.3 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game.

Villarreal predicted lineup vs Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Gulácsi; Mouriño, Navarro, Veiga, Romero; Comesaña, Gueye; Pépé, G. Moreno, Moleiro; Mikautadze.

Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal Prediction

  • Safe Tip: Both teams to score
  • Odds: 1.5 (22Bet)
  • Correct score prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Villarreal
  • 22Bet Booking Code: HTE7C

Key stats:

  • 60% of Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League games last season saw both teams score.
  • Including friendlies, four of the past five Villarreal matches have seen goals for each team.
  • Games involving the Yellow Submarine in La Liga this term average 3.5 goals per 90.

Backing both teams to score is a safe pick for this matchday one clash in Europe’s elite competition. After their latest defeat, Villarreal have gone 18 competitive outings without keeping a clean sheet. 15 of those produced goals for each side.

Borussia Dortmund always seek to play positive football at home. They only failed to score in three fixtures in front of their own fans across all competitions last term. However, they kept just one clean sheet in four matches at Westfalenstadion in the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal Prediction, Value Tip

  • Value Tip: Borussia Dortmund to score over 2 goals
  • Odds: 2.13 (22Bet)
  • 22Bet Booking Code: XTG7C

This is a repeat of a league-stage clash from last season in which Borussia Dortmund dominated with eight shots on target and four goals across the 90 minutes.

With eight goals conceded in four league outings so far, all the signs are that Villarreal still have some defensive weaknesses. Backing Borussia Dortmund to score over 2 goals offers value.

Verdict: Both teams to score (1.5) — Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Villarreal