Villarreal go host Napoli for Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday, 13 October, with kick-off set for 15:00. The match na Champions League encounter as both teams still dey find their first points for this season competition.
Villarreal no get win for 12 Champions League matches. Dem lose 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund for Germany for their last European outing. Last season, the Yellow Submarine finish 35th out of 36 teams for league phase, and this term dem still dey struggle to qualify for knockout rounds.
For domestic front, Villarreal come into this game after 1-0 La Liga defeat to Real Madrid for Santiago Bernabeu. El Submarino Amarillo hold 53% possession and record four shots on target for that game. Before international break, Inigo Perez side win back-to-back league matches, but Real Madrid loss leave dem for middle of La Liga table.
Napoli also start this Champions League campaign with defeat. Dem lose 1-0 to Arsenal for Diego Armando Maradona. Against Arsenal, Napoli xG reach just 0.22, lowest of any team on matchday one, and dem only register eight touches inside opposition box.
For Serie A, Napoli beat Frosinone 3-0 for home. Massimiliano Allegri team record 51% possession and manage eight shots on goal. Kevin De Bruyne score twice, while Noa Lang score one. Before that, Napoli beat Bologna and pick point away to Fiorentina.
Napoli road form for Europe no too good. Dem no win any of their last six Champions League away games, and dem lose all but one. Also, Napoli never win for four Europa League meetings with Villarreal, but dem beat Villarreal twice for 2011-12 Champions League, which remain their only wins against Spanish opposition for Europe top level.
Villarreal stats for this season show 3 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws. Dem average 2.0 goals from 6.5 shots on goal and 15.0 attempts. Inigo Perez men average 58.0% possession, 562.3 passes and 6.6 corners per match. Opponents dey get 1.7 goals from 4.0 shots on goal, 12.7 attempts and 5.3 corners. Pape Gueye lead scoring with 4 goals, Ayoze Perez and Georges Mikautadze get 3 each. Alberto Moleiro and Ayoze Perez na leading assist makers with 3.
Napoli record na 5 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw. Dem average 1.6 goals from 13.2 attempts and 4.8 shots on goal. The Naples club average 53.9% possession, 523.4 passes, 4.9 corners for favour and 4.1 corners against. Dem concede 1.0 goals from 14.7 attempts and 3.9 shots on goal. Rasmus Hoejlund lead scorer with 4 goals, Kevin De Bruyne follow with 3, while Noa Lang and two others bag 1. Kevin De Bruyne and Rasmus Hoejlund na top assist makers with 2 apiece. Alex Meret get 4 clean sheets for last 10 games.
Villarreal predicted lineup (4-3-3): Peter Gulacsi, Santiago Mourino, Juan Foyth, Renato Veiga, Sergi Cardona, Santi Comesana, Nathan Saliba, Pape Gueye, Gerard Moreno, Georges Mikautadze, Alberto Moleiro.
Napoli predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Alex Meret, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Rafa Marin, Leonardo Spinazzola, Billy Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka, Matteo Politano, Kevin De Bruyne, David Neres, Rasmus Hoejlund.
Villarreal go miss Tajon Buchanan, wey dey sideline with hamstring injury. Nicolas Pepe dey doubt with eye problem. Inigo Perez must choose between Ayoze Perez, Georges Mikautadze and Tani Oluwaseyi to start up front. None of dem don hit top gear this term, with Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye na club leading La Liga scorer on three.
Napoli pair Rafa Marin and Frank Anguissa go return to El Madrigal, as both spend loan spells there before. Frank Anguissa fit no ready to play, as e miss several games with thigh problem. Alisson Santos, Alessandro Buongiorno, Mathias Olivera, Antonio Vergara and Costantino Favasuli also set to sit out.
Scott McTominay return from minor heart operation at weekend, while goalkeeper Alex Meret make im comeback between posts. Up front, Rasmus Hoejlund hope to rediscover early Champions League form. The Danish striker notch seven goals for first eight appearances but score in just one of six games since then.
Both clubs fail to escape league phase last term, so dem dey desperate to get up and running on matchday two. Challenging games against Liverpool and double champions Paris Saint-Germain await Villarreal further down the line. Another loss on Tuesday go see Villarreal become first Spanish club to suffer eight straight defeats for either European Cup or Champions League. Dem already hold current record of seven.
