Juventus vs Villarreal: Preview – Prediction, team news, line-ups

With the tie evenly poised at 1-1, Juventus and Villarreal go head-to-head in the return leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Allianz Stadium.

Desperate to avoid a third consecutive Champions League last-16 elimination on home turf, Massimiliano Allegri’s men go into proceedings unbeaten in 12 matches across all competitions (W8, D4).

With Juventus’ confident mood turned on following a 3-1 Serie A win away to Sampdoria at the weekend, Villarreal will have the odds to beat here to reach the quarter-finals. 

Match Preview

Juventus

Juventus’ marquee January signing Dusan Vlahovic enjoyed a dream Champions League debut as he needed less than a minute into his maiden appearance in the competition to open his account.

The prodigious Serbian striker, who joined the fray at Ferraris as a second-half substitute, has scored in four of his seven competitive starts for the record-time Serie A champions.

Allegri will turn to his prolific scorer to maintain Juventus’ decent ten-game form against Spanish clubs in European football (W6, D2, L2), coupled with a stellar 14-game home record against La Liga visitors (W8, D4, L2).

Since moving to the Allianz in 2011, the Bianconeri have only lost five of their 49 European fixtures in Turin (W32, D19), turning their home venue into a fortress.

Villarreal

Villarreal have blown hot and cold since drawing the first leg at La Ceramica (W2, L1), including a brace of 1-0 results (W1, L1) across their last two La Liga outings. 

The reigning Europa League holders squeezed into the Champions League knock-outs as Group F runners-up, with six of their ten group points coming on the road.

Except for a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United, Unai Emery’s men won the other two Group F away matches by an aggregate score of 7-3, netting 3+ goals on both occasions. 

However, the triumphs at Young Boys and Juventus’ fellow Italian rivals Atalanta have made it just three wins in Villarreal’s last 12 away games in the Champions League proper (D4, L5).

Team News

Weston McKennie and Federico Chiesa are unavailable after picking up long-term injuries, while Allegri hopes to have Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala back in time for Villarreal’s visit. 

Alberto Moreno, Ruben Pena and Paco Alcacer are all ruled out with injuries, while Raul Albion remains a doubt after a hamstring problem forced his half-time withdrawal against Celta Vigo at the weekend.

Juventus Potential Starting XI:

(4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Giorgio Chiellini, Mattjihs de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Juan Cuadrado, Arthur, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot; Dusan Vlahovic, Alvaro Morata.

Villarreal Potential Starting XI:

(4-2-3-1): Geronimo Rulli; Serge Aurier, Aissa Mandi, Pau Torres, Alfonso Pedraza; Manu Trigueros, Dani Parejo; Samuel Chukwueze, Giovani Lo Celso, Pervis Estupinan; Arnaut Danjuma. 

Juventus vs Villarreal Prediction

Following a troublesome start to the season, Juventus have returned to their former heights and are again a force to be reckoned with in both Europe and Serie A.

Allegri’s side eked out a draw at La Ceramica, albeit their showing flattered to deceive, having surrendered possession and match control to the Spaniards in the majority of the second half.

But we back the Italians, who have won eight of their last ten competitive home fixtures (D2), to lift their performance and advance to the quarter-finals.

Juventus 2-0 Villarreal