In-form sub welcomes the Old Lady
After the first four round of 16 matches in the Champions League, the other four games are on the agenda this week. In Spain, it comes to the duel between the yellow submarine and the Old Lady. Football insiders already know which duel we are talking about from the nicknames. Spanish Europa League winners Villarreal welcome Juventus Turin.
Despite winning the title last season, the international experience is clearly higher with the Italians. In addition, the Allegri eleven managed to finish first in the group stage – ahead of defending champions Chelsea – and are considered favourites by the bookmakers in the “To Qualify”. However, this is not the case in the first leg and slightly lower betting odds are offered on a home win between Villarreal and Juventus here.
The home side have the home advantage, of course, but the recent results of both teams also give the Spaniards a slight edge. The dress rehearsal ended with a 4-1 win at the weekend, while Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 draw in the derby. The referee for the match will provide a Germany connection, with Daniel Siebert officiating.
Villarreal – Statistics & current form
The yellow submarine was the last team to book their ticket to the last 16 of the top flight. On the last matchday, the away game in Bergamo had to be postponed by one day due to weather conditions. Emery’s eleven once again underlined that the international “Thursday” date suits the club and celebrated a 3:2 victory in Lombardy.
Villarreal on the up
This was a positive end to a mixed autumn after all. The yellow submarine often acted too error-prone this season and drew countless times. At times, the team was only in twelfth place, but in the last few weeks the form curve has clearly been on the rise. In the domestic championship, ten points have been collected in the last four games, and Villarreal only had to settle for a draw against Real Madrid. Thanks to their recent successes, Villarreal are now only four points behind third place in LaLiga.
Last weekend, Villarreal were given another boost of confidence when they beat Granada 4-1 in Andalusia. The outstanding man was Dutchman Arnaut Danjuma, who was the match-winner with three goals. Danjuma was injured against Bergamo on the last CL matchday and was then out of action for almost seven weeks. Just in time for the Champions League he is running hot again, after all he was mainly responsible for the advancement to the knockout round with four goals and one assist.
Gerard Moreno still missing
Danjuma’s top form is all the more important as top striker Gerard Moreno will not be an option in the home game against Juventus Turin. The 29-year-old attacking player is the only important absentee. Villarreal can easily compensate for the absence of Pena and Coquelin.
Another argument that underlines the prediction for the home side in the Villarreal vs Juventus clash is their very good home record. Villarreal have celebrated ten wins in the Spanish LaLiga so far this season, seven of them at home. The visitors have only won twice (Osasuna and Barcelona), so DNB1 is a good bet.
Predicted line-up of Villarreal:
Rulli – Pedraza, Pau Torres, Albiol, Aurier – Pino, Parejo, Trigueros, Alberto Moreno – Danjuma, Dia
Last matches played by Villarreal:
LaLiga
02/19 2022 – Granada 1 – 4 Villarreal FC
02/12 2022 – Villarreal FC 0 – 0 Real Madrid
02/06 2022 – Real Betis 0 – 2 Villarreal FC
01/22 2022 – Villarreal FC 3 – 0 Mallorca
01/16 2022 – Elche 1 – 0 Villarreal FC
Juventus – Statistics & current form
Average of 2.27 points collected by Massimiliano Allegri during his first spell in charge in Turin. Impressive especially since he played no less than 271 games for the Old Lady from Turin. He then took time out and Juventus were not happy with either Maurizio Sarri or ex-player Andrea Pirlo. Allegri took over after a two-year break and should lead Juventus back to the top of Italian football. However, the Scudetto 2021/22 will hardly go to Turin, nine points behind.
Offensive with little goal threat
Last season was a disappointing one under Pirlo, but Juventus still had eight more points after 26 games. The big problem this season is the lack of penetrating power in the offensive. After Ronaldo’s departure, the fans hoped that the offensive play would become more variable again and no longer one-dimensional on the Portuguese.
So far, however, this has not really been successful, as Juventus Turin has a shockingly weak offensive performance for a top team. They have only 38 goals on the season, whereas in recent years the Bianconeri have regularly scored between 50 and 60 goals. Just seven meagre goals are enough to be the top scorer. The 80 million euro signing of Dusan Vlahovic in the winter should remedy the situation.
Although Juventus have not lost in the league since 27 November, the points are still shared too often (twelve league games – 7-5-0 record). In the last four league games alone, Allegri’s team has had to settle for a draw three times. Last weekend, a lead in the derby against the Garnets was not enough to secure a prestigious victory.
Last round of 16 was the final stop twice
Under Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus Turin have reached the last 16 of the top flight four times in five appearances. In the last two seasons, Juventus have reached the last 16. The Italians are seen as slight favourites against the Europa League winners, as the odds for this prediction are 1.60 for Villarreal vs. Juventus, and around 2.20 for the Spaniards.
Predicted Juventus line-up:
Szczesny – Pellegrini, Alex Sandro, de Ligt, Cuadrado – Zakaria, Arthur, Rabiot – Morata, Dybala – Vlahovic
Last matches played by Juventus:
Serie A
02/18 2022 – Juventus FC 1 – 1 Torino
02/13 2022 – Atalanta Bergamo 1 – 1 Juventus FC
Coppa Italia
02/10 2022 – Juventus FC 2 – 1 Sassuolo
Serie A
02/06 2022 – Juventus FC 2 – 0 Verona
01/23 2022 – AC Milan 0 – 0 Juventus FC
Villarreal – Juventus Direct comparison / H2H balance
There is no direct comparison between these two teams. For the first time in club history, the yellow submarine from Villarreal and the Old Lady from Torino will face each other in a competitive match
Villarreal – Juventus Tip
The away goals rule has been history in international knockout matches since this season. The host in the first leg does not have to act with the handbrake on, but can also take more risks. A change that may well have the effect of making bets on high-scoring matches more lucrative, despite the enormous importance.
Quite surprisingly, the odds on Villarreal against Juventus are predicted to be at least three goals. Odds of over 2.20 are being offered for this bet, which is quite surprising given Villarreal’s stellar Danjuma form and the goalscoring prowess of winter newcomer Dusan Vlahovic (18 goals in Serie A).
One reason for the high odds is certainly the recent Juventus games, five times in a row there were a maximum of two goals to see. In contrast to these games, however, Villarreal is a team that looks for and mostly finds playful solutions itself. This should also create spaces for Vlahovic, Dybala and Morata. Three goals seem more likely than the betting odds suggest.
