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Kickoff: Thursday, 10 March @20:05 GMT
Venue: Camp El Madrigal (Villarreal)
Live Stream: fuboTV (US), bet365 (non-US)
Head to head record
Villarreal vs Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 (2010/2011 Europa League)
Bayer Leverkusen vs Villarreal 2-3 (2010/2011 Europa League)
Villarreal vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction
Leverkusen and Villarreal are about to meet for the second time in the last sixteen of the Europa League. In the season of 2010/2011 el Submarino Amarillo emerged victorious, so Bayer hope for revenge this time out.
Villarreal almost unbeatable on home soil
Marcelino has one of the best defenses in La Liga and in the Europa League. Villarreal conceded only 19 goals this season in the Primera Division and recorded clean sheets in all Europa League matches played on home soil this term. Even though El Madrigal outfit recorded a rather shocking league defeat against Las Palmas in the previous round, the Yellow Submarine are keen on making a mark in Europe this season. Roberto Soldado and Cedric Bakambu are supposed to lead the attack this time out and no doubt they will present a handful to Leverkusen defenders. The Spanish club boast a flawless record on home turf in the competition, and managed to lose just three times in front of their supporters in the Europa League since 2003, which is why el Submarino Amarillo hope for a good result in order to finish the job already in the first leg.
Villarreal midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos is sidelined for eight weeks due to his left thigh injury. Mateo Musacchio, Jaume Costa, and Samu García are with him in the recovery room.
Chicharito the biggest danger
Javier Hernandez proved more than once this season that Manchester United made a big mistake with letting him go. The Mexican international netted 23 goals in all competitions for Leverkusen this season, which is why Villlarreal’s defenders will have to pay special attention to Chicharito’s performance in the forthcoming clash. Bayer do not have much luck when playing in Spain, since they boast a 2-2-9 record against Spanish clubs in recent history. Their performance on the road is highly unpredictable this season, but we have to mention Roger Schmidt’s charges lost just two of their last ten away fixtures in all competitions. Truth being told, the opponents in those games were far from Villarreal’s quality. The German club are having serious injury problems, as Schmidt cannot count on a number of important team members. All in all, Bayer Leverkusen will need to work extra hard in order to achieve a positive result in this encounter.
Roger Schmidt has a rather long list of players in the recovery room. Lars Bender, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Stefan Kiessling and Roberto Hilbert will most certainly miss the match, while the final verdict of the medical staff will be given to Omer Toprak and Charles Aranguiz.
Quick Facts
- Villarreal won both of their previous matches against Leverkusen
- Marcelino’s men lost three home games in the Europa League since September 2003 (W31 D5)
- The Yellow Submarine recorded four straight clean sheets in Europe this term
- Bayer have been blowing hot and cold on their travels this season in all competitions
- Roger Schmidt’s charges boast a 2-2-9 record against Spanish teams of recent
Villarreal vs Bayer Leverkusen betting tip
Looking at the statistics of both clubs, it is more than obvious that Marcelino’s charges are the favorites in the forthcoming encounter. I believe that Leverkusen are not capable of surprising the Yellow Submarine at El Madrigal this time out, which is why I will put my money on the hosts..
Tip: Home win
Odds: 2.15 (15/13) @Unibet
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