Match Preview: Villarreal vs Juventus

The 2025/26 group stage Matchday 2 clash between Villarreal (Spain) and Juventus (Italy) is scheduled for October 1st at Estadio de la Cerámica. This article presents a detailed match preview, including our prediction, team statistics, and key insights for the encounter.

Villarreal’s Current Form and Statistics

The team suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Tottenham in their opening Champions League fixture. This marks their third consecutive loss in the competition, extending their winless streak to four matches. Despite these results, Villarreal has shown a tendency to score, finding the net in six of their last eight Champions League encounters. However, defensive stability remains a concern, as they have kept only two clean sheets in their previous nine European outings.

Key Villarreal Statistics

• Five of Villarreal’s last seven Champions League matches have seen two or fewer goals scored in total.
• At home, the team has struggled, failing to win in eight of their last ten Champions League games (2 draws, 6 losses).
• Villarreal has managed to score at least once in six of their last seven home matches in this tournament.

Villarreal: Probable Line-up (4-3-3)

Luis Junior – Rafa Marín, Sergi Cardona, Santiago Mouriño, Renato Veiga – Alberto Moleiro, Santi Comesaña, Pape Gueye – Georges Mikautadze, Nicolas Pepe, Tajon Buchanan.

Villarreal: Injury Report

Forwards Ayoze Pérez, Pau Cabanes, and Gerard Moreno are sidelined with injuries, along with defenders Juan Foyth, Willy Kambwalla, and Logan Costa.

Juventus’ Recent Performance and Statistics

The Italian giants were involved in an thrilling encounter in their first group match. Juventus drew 4-4 with Borussia Dortmund after trailing by two goals in injury time. This eight-goal thriller marked the first time Juventus scored more than three goals in a Champions League match in their last 21 appearances. Overall, Juventus has secured only one victory in their last five Champions League outings (2 draws, 2 defeats) and has conceded in their last four matches in the competition.

• On the road, Juventus has scored no more than one goal in nine of their last eleven Champions League fixtures.
• The team has failed to win in nine of their last ten away matches in the Champions League (4 draws, 5 losses).
• Juventus has conceded at least one goal in eight of their last ten away Champions League games.

Juventus: Probable Line-up (3-4-3)

Michele Di Gregorio – Federico Gatti, Lloyd Kelly, Pierre Kalulu – Andrea Cambiaso, João Mário, Pierre Kalulu, Manuel Locatelli – Teun Koopmeiners, Jonathan David, Kenan Yıldız.

Juventus: Injury Concerns

Midfielder Fabio Miretti and forward Francisco Conceição are unavailable due to injuries. The participation of midfielder Khephren Thuram is questionable.

Referee Analysis

István Kovács (Romania)

Matches officiated (International, 2024/25-2025/26): 17;

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows): 61;

Average yellow cards per match: 3.6;

Red cards shown: 4;

Average fouls per match: 23;

Penalties awarded: 24%.

Villarreal vs Juventus: Our Match Prediction

The Spanish side, having started the tournament poorly, will undoubtedly be eager to secure a positive result in front of their home crowd. Villarreal typically performs well at home in the Champions League and consistently finds the back of the net, having scored in six of their last seven home games in the competition. However, their defense remains a point of concern. At home, they have conceded in eight of their last ten Champions League matches, allowing at least two goals in seven of those instances.

Juventus was involved in the most high-scoring match of the opening round. While it’s unlikely the Turin team will repeat such a goal-fest, we can expect them to score at least once. The Italians have found the net in 12 of their last 16 away Champions League games. However, Ivan Jurić’s men are unlikely to keep a clean sheet either. They have conceded 9 goals in their last four Champions League fixtures, and away from home, Juventus has managed just two clean sheets in their last ten matches in the tournament.

Our prediction: “Both Teams to Score – Yes”.