The UEFA Champions League back in action with another set of matches this week com Villarreal lock horns with Pep Guardiola Manchester City team in an important encounter at the Estadio de la Ceràmica on Tuesday. Both teams can pack a punch on their day and will want to win this game.
Previous Villarreal vs Manchester City
Manchester City are currently eighth in the UEFA Champions League standings and have not been at their best this season. The Cityzens edged Everton comfortably 2-0 in their previous game and will be looking for a similar result this week.
Villarreal, on the other hand, sit 26th in the Champions League at the moment and have struggled to make an impact on the European front this season. The home side drew 2-2 against Real Betis last week and will need to raise the bar in this game.
Villarreal vs Manchester City Head to head and key numbers
Manchester City have a good record against Villarreal in the main European competitions and have won both games played between the two teams. Villarreal have never managed a win against Manchester City on the European stage.
Villarreal are winless in their last three games in all competitions, with their previous victory coming a narrow 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao in a La Liga game last month.
Manchester City are unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions, with their previous defeat coming by a 2-1 margin at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion in a Premier League fixture in August this year.
Manchester City have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two games in all competitions.
Prediction Villarreal vs Manchester City
Manchester City have a formidable squad at their disposal and have made strides in recent weeks. Erling Haaland has made his team and will be looking to add to his goal tally in this match.
Villarreal have struggled in the UEFA Champions League and will have to play out of their skins this week. Manchester City are the better team at the moment and should be able to win this game.
Aditya is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda, covering previews, news, post-match articles and live blogs for 5 years. During his time here, he had the privilege of covering a press meet during the collaboration between his favorite club, Bengaluru FC and Sevilla, where he had the opportunity to interact with Sevilla president Jose Castro and explore grassroots development in his city.
Aditya started following the sport after being dazzled by Ronaldinho's silky feet at the FIFA World Cup 2006. He is a Barcelona fan and undoubtedly his favorite coaches and players are Pep Guardiola and Andrés Iniesta respectively. He admires the latter for his superhuman talent and demeanor off the pitch, and his winning goal in Spain's 2010 World Cup final victory over the Netherlands left a lasting impression on Aditya.
The match preview specialist believes his five-year stint at Sportskeeda has given him the ability to identify the fine line between emotional and fact-based articles, which separates him from other journalists. For him, fact-checking is the most integral part of his writing process, and he relies only on authentic platforms for data.
Aditya is a semi-professional pianist and enjoys participating in concerts and recitals when not immersed in football.