Villarreal Aims for Another Upset
Every UEFA Champions League season there’s a Cinderella team. This season, there are two, Villarreal and Benfica.
After surviving Group F, the Yellow Submarine pulled off a huge upset in the Round of 16. This will be the first time, since the 2008-09 season, that the Spanish side plays the Quarterfinals. Can you imagine the excitement all over the city?
There’s one small detail, though, some would even call it a problem. They’ll face Bayern Munich, one of the soccer betting favorites to win it all, including Wednesday’s game.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Champions League odds for Villarreal vs Bayern. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Villarreal Not Afraid of German Teams
Overall, Villarreal owns an 8-4-4 record against German teams. They’ve faced nine teams and lost to three. I know it’s no guarantee, but psychologically speaking it can make a big difference.
Plus, the Yellow Submarine has been pulling off upsets since the Group Stage. In the last fixture, they went to Bergamo and defeated Atalanta 3-2. That result allowed them to advance to the Round of 16. Atalanta was the soccer odds favorite at -150.
Most recently, Unai Emery’s team eliminated Juventus thanks to a 4-1 aggregate. Sounds like it was easy, right? Well, it wasn’t. The first leg in Spain finished 1-1, which means the Yellow Submarine got the job done on the road.
Defeating Juventus at Allianz Stadium isn’t easy, much less with a three-goal difference. Gerard Moreno, Pau Torres, and Arnaut Danjuma were the scorers. Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli deserves a lot of praise after finishing the game with five saves.
Don’t be fooled by Villarreal’s loss on Saturday. Yes, they lost 2-0 to Levante, one of the teams in La Liga’s relegation zone, however, we all know that they were thinking about Bayern all game long. Emery made several changes, and the players didn’t give their best. Winning the current edition is the only way for Villarreal to return to the UCL in the 2022-23 season.
Bayern Munich Shows No Mercy
Bayern Munich is the only team in the Quarterfinals that hasn’t lost a single game. As if that wasn’t enough, the Bundesliga champions have scored 30 goals and allowed only five.
Having Robert Lewandowski helps a lot as he alone has scored 12 goals. Three of those 12 goals were in the second leg of the Round of 16, in which Bayern crushed RB Salzburg 7-1. No, that’s not a typo.
On top of that, the German side is highly motivated after increasing its advantage at the top of the Bundesliga. Last Saturday, they crushed Freiburg 4-1 to increase the gap between them and Borussia Dortmund up to nine points. Having such an advantage allows them to fully focus on the UCL.
More good news for the Germans as midfielder Leon Goretzka is back after missing some time due to injury. When he’s on the field, Bayern becomes an even more balanced team. Having him back also contributes for the visitors to control odds with a -165 price based on the soccer predictions. If it wasn’t for Liverpool, -260 against Benfica, Bayern would be the top road favorite.
Villarreal vs Bayern Head-to-Head
- Previous Matches: 2
- Villarreal Victories: 0 (1 goal)
- Bayern Victories: 2 (5 goals)
- Draws: 0
These two collided for the first time in the Group Stage of the 2011-12 edition. Bayern went to Villarreal and won 2-0 with goals from Toni Kroos and Rafinha. Then, Franck Ribery led them to a 3-1 victory at Allianz Arena after scoring twice. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who remains the starter, played in both games.
Overall, Bayern owns a 32-16-19 record against teams from Spain.
Villarreal vs Bayern Game Information
- Date: Wednesday, April 6th
- Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal
- Villarreal vs Bayern Live Stream: fuboTV
Villarreal vs Bayern Betting Lines
Villarreal vs Bayern Prediction
Trust me, I would love to see Villarreal going all the way, but Bayern Munich’s offensive power is just too much. The German side hasn’t lost in its last 25 road games. Crazy, right? And that’s not all, they scored in the last 16 of those games (two or more goals in 12).
The Yellow Submarine will put up a fight, after all, we’re talking about the reigning UEFA Europa League champions, but it won’t be enough. Bayern usually is a very productive soccer pick, and this time won’t be the exception.
Score Prediction: Bayern 3, Villarreal 1
