Serial Europa League winner Unai Emery will be aiming

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Serial Europa League winner Unai Emery will be aiming to make progress in the Champions League as Villarreal welcome Juventus to the Estadio de la Ceramica for the first leg of their last-16 battle. The Yellow Submarine finished second in Group F behind Manchester United to make it this far, while Juve topped Group H ahead of reigning champions Chelsea.

Villarreal approach their first UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout tie since 2008/09 with confidence, after winning half of their group stage fixtures (W3, D1, L2). Yet, with both defeats coming against another side (Manchester United) that boast a better UEFA coefficient than themselves, they will be wary of expecting too much against two-time European champions Juventus.

A 0-0 draw against La Liga leaders Real Madrid in Villarreal’s last home game may provide something of a psychological boost for last season’s Europa League winners, with that draw making it six home games without sinking for the ‘Yellow Submarine’ (W4, D2). Similarly, three of their four UCL home wins since last beating Italian opposition at the Estadio de la Cerámica (1-0 vs Inter back in April 2006) have been accompanied by a clean sheet.

Juventus find themselves in the UCL knockouts for an eighth straight season, and will aim to make the final for the third time within that period. Like a true Italian side, they were mostly well-composed at the back during the group stage (W5, L1), registering four clean sheets and winning the possession stakes in both away victories.

Their Serie A away form since mid-November also reads well (W4, D3), with three 2-0 wins – each seeing both halves won – within that streak. They’ve also recorded three victories across their last five trips to Spain, though there is also a warning for the ‘Bianconeri’, as the Italian giants have lost their last three Round of 16 away legs.

Date: 22/02/2022
Time: 23:00
Venue: Estadio de la Ceramica (Villarreal)
Pick for this match:
” Over 2.5 ” – @ 2.37 ( BETWAY )