Villarreal vs Young Boys predictions and match preview for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the Yellow Submarine target back-to-back wins over the Swiss side.
| Date | Tuesday 2nd November 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Ceramica |
| Competition | UEFA Champions League Group Stage |
Villarreal vs Young Boys Preview
Villarreal are hoping to put their faltering domestic campaign to one side for one evening and focus on putting three Champions League points on the board which would put them in a position to compete for qualification heading into their final two matches. Young Boys are the visitors to the Ceramica and nothing short of a win will do for Unai Emery’s side.
These sides met in Switzerland a fortnight ago and it was the Spanish team that ran out convincing winners. Goals from Yeremi Pino, Gerard Moreno, Albert Moreno and Samu Chukwueze sealed a 4-1 victory, Villarreal’s first in Group F and one that lifted them off the bottom of the standings.
That result really should breed confidence for the Yellow Submarine heading into the return clash. However they’ve been poor in LaLiga since that first meeting, taking just one point from three games and they needed a 95th minute equaliser just to get that in the 3-3 home draw against Cadiz a week ago. They’ve since lost a derby at Valencia 2-0 and their league struggles really are a mystery given everything they’ve achieved in Europe in 2021.
The Europa League holders probably should have more than 4 points in this group having impressed in an unfortunate 2-1 defeat away to Manchester United. The Premier League side visit the Ceramica next and that promises to be a hugely important game for both teams in what is a finely poised group.
Having beaten United in their opening fixture, Young Boys are not completely out of the running either. They are only one point off their opponents in 2nd heading into this game and while clearly the outsiders in this group, Young Boys have shown themselves capable of raising their game at times and they shouldn’t be underestimated.
That being said, they’ve not exactly set the world on fire even in their domestic competitions of late. Since the last meeting, Young Boys have been knocked out of the Swiss Cup by Lugano and they come into this game after back-to-back defeats following a 3-1 defeat at lowly St Gallen in the league at the weekend.
Head to Head
- Villarreal won the reverse fixture 4-1 a fortnight ago.
- The sides hadn’t previously met.
Team News
Juan Foyth and Gerard Moreno are sidelined through injury for the hosts. Serge Aurier is ineligible.
The visitors have significant injury problems right now with seven players sidelined including Mohamed Ali Camara and David von Ballmoos missing.
Possible Lineups
Villarreal vs Young Boys Predictions
Score Prediction: Villarreal 3-1 Young Boys
European football will provide a very welcome distraction for Villarreal from their league troubles. They are hampered by some notable absences still but ought to have enough quality to repeat the job they did on Young Boys a fortnight ago and claim a comfortable win.
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Mark Sochon is an experienced football writer and editor of LaLiga Expert. Based in Madrid, he has covered La Liga and Spanish football for many years. He also covers Spanish and European football for Goal and Betfred, while his work has previously been published by the Guardian and World Soccer.