01 October 2025
The Juventus Men’s First Team are preparing to face Villarreal on Matchday Two of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League group stage. The Spanish side go into this match full of confidence after a positive start to their league campaign.
RECENT FORM
Villarreal have had a good start to the LaLiga season: four wins, one draw and only one defeat – away to Atletico Madrid – in their first six games. Their biggest win came against Girona, whom they beat 5-0. They currently sit third in the table, alone on 16 points, two behind Real Madrid and three behind leaders Barcelona, who are still unbeaten.
Under Marcelino, the Spanish side have recorded seven consecutive home wins between the end of the 2024/25 season and the start of the current one.
Their UCL season opener, however, was not so positive. They suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at Tottenham due to an own goal by goalkeeper Luiz Junior after just four minutes of play. Despite the negative result, they showed good ability to build play and manage possession.
KEY PLAYERS
Despite some notable absences, Marcelino has several top-level players at his disposal for tonight's match:
- Alex Baena: A modern attacking midfielder, unpredictable and skilled at playing between the lines.
- Alexander Sorloth: physical striker, excellent in aerial play, extremely useful as a reference point in the attack.
- Dani Parejo: The brain of the Spanish side's midfield, he controls the tempo of the game and distributes most of the play.
PLAYING STYLE
Villarreal are a well-organised team with a balanced mentality: they alternate between periods of controlled possession and rapid transitions. In short, they prefer selective pressing, concentrated in certain phases of the game rather than constant. They defend compactly, are good on the counter-attack and like to use the wings to attack. Overall, they are a dangerous team on set pieces in the opponent's penalty area, but can struggle with aerial play defensively.
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS WITH JUVENTUS
Prior to this match, the Spanish and Italian sides had only faced each other twice in the Round of 16 of the 2021/22 Champions League: Villarreal came out on top, winning 3-0 at the Allianz Stadium after a 1-1 draw at home.
