Villarreal vs Juventus
After getting a point out of their eight-goal thriller against Borussia Dortmund on the opening matchday, Juventus are out to get maximum points this time when they visit Villarreal on Wednesday evening for their next Champions League match at Estadio de la Ceramica.
Igor Tudor’s men are 16th in the standings after the Borussia Dortmund match, and they drew their next two Serie A matches against Hellas Verona (1-1) and Atalanta (1-1). Despite their recent dip in form, the Old Lady can boast that they are one of the few undefeated teams in Europe this season.
On the other hand, Villarreal are 27th in the Champions League table after losing 1-0 against Tottenham in the opener. However, Marcelino Garcia Toral’s men are in fine form, as they’re third in La Liga, following a three-game winning streak.
This is undoubtedly a big game for these two sides, and SBOTOP is here for the preview.
Talking Points
Villarreal can cope with their injuries
With 16 points after their first seven La Liga matches, Villarreal are third in the standings behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. Since their recent losses against Atletico Madrid and Tottenham, the Yellow Submarine have strung together three consecutive wins against Osasuna (2-1), Sevilla (2-1), and Athletic Bilbao (1-0), giving them momentum ahead of the Juventus match.
Georges Mikautadze, Pape Gueye, Tani Oluwaseyi, Manor Solomon, and Alberto Moreiro have found the back of the net for the Yellow Submarine during their unbeaten run. Meanwhile, marquee summer signing Tajon Buchanan is off to a superb start, as he leads the team with three league goals after scoring a hat-trick against Girona.
With Ayoze Perez (adductor), who led the team in scoring last season with 19 goals, back on the sidelines alongside Gerard Moreno (hamstring), head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral will continue to rely on Mikautadze, Nicolas Pepe, and Buchanan for goals.
Villarreal will also miss the services of defenders Willy Kambwala and Juan Foyth, so Renato Veiga and Rafa Marin will continue to start at centre-half, with Sergi Cardona and Santiago Mourino as the full-backs. Luiz Junior had an own goal against Tottenham, which cost them the game. However, the 24-year-old goalie has improved since then.
Juventus have a selection dilemma up front
Juventus manager Igor Tudor will have to choose between Jonathan David, Lois Openda, and Dusan Vlahovic for Wednesday’s contest against Villarreal. Openda got the starting nod in their most recent match against Atalanta, but the former RB Leipzig centre-forward failed to inspire. Vlahovic entered the contest in the second half, but he didn’t fare much better, and David was left on the bench because Tudor used his last substitution in defence.
According to local reports, Tudor is keen to mix things up. David will likely start against Villarreal, while Vlahovic could come off the bench, as the Serbian’s four goals this season have all come in the second half.
History
Villarreal and Juventus will meet in the Champions League again for the first time since 2022. These two sides drew 1-1 at Estadio de la Ceramica for the first leg of their Round of 16 tie before Villarreal won 3-0 in the second leg at the Allianz Stadium. The Yellow Submarine reached the semi-finals at the time.
However, Villarreal have only won two of their last 12 Champions League home matches (D5, L5), while scoring just 10 goals. They’ve also lost five of their last nine (W2, D2), after going undefeated in their first 11 home matches in the competition (W4, D7).
Juventus have only lost one of their last six Champions League away matches (W3, D2) against Spanish sides. However, the Bianconeri have only won two of their last nine in the competition (D4, L3) since winning their opening two games of last year’s league phase.
Betting Tip
The Champions League 2025 odds expect a close fight between Villarreal and Juventus. Because they’re playing at home, Villarreal have a slight edge at 2.28, whereas Juventus are not far behind at 2.95, and a draw is at 3.09 in the 1X2 market.
Both teams should make new Champions League 2025 highlights, but the Yellow Submarine should see this through in front of their home crowd. Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also add Over 2.25 at 1.79, Over 2.50 at 2.03, Over 2.75 at 2.29, and Total Goal 2-3 at 1.97 to the parlay. Furthermore, a Correct Score of 3-0 in favour of Villarreal – the result of their previous encounter – is at a mouthwatering offer of 24.00 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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