Villarreal will be looking to pick up their second successive victory over Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League as the two sides meet on Tuesday night.
Villarreal registered their most emphatic win of the season when they faced Young Boys almost a fortnight ago. The Yellow Submarine won the game 4-1 but have since gone three games without a win. In the last two weeks, Unai Emery's men have lost to Athletic Bilbao and Valencia whilst drawing with Cadiz.
Villarreal languish at 13th in the La Liga table and it's been far from the ideal start to the campaign that Emery would have desired after a promising 2020-21 season. But in the Champions League, they sit second in Group F with four points from three matches behind leaders Manchester United, who have six from three.
However, they are tied on points with Atalanta and only have a one-point lead over their Tuesday opponents Young Boys. Things will get a whole lot tighter in Group F over the course of the next few weeks.
Young Boys' early momentum after beating Manchester United in their Champions League opener has been largely snapped. They've lost to Atalanta and Villarreal and are desperately looking to get their European campaign back on track.
The loss to Villarreal at home would have hurt their confidence significantly. David Wagner's men cannot afford to settle for anything less than a positive result on Tuesday night.
Villarreal vs Young Boys Head-to-Head
The group stage game on the 20th of October was the first encounter between the two sides. Villarreal thumped Young Boys 4-1 in that game.
Villarreal form guide: L-W-L-D-L
Young Boys form guide: D-L-W-L-L
Villarreal vs Young Boys Team News
Villarreal
Serge Aurier is ineligible to play in the group stages of the Champions League. Juan Foyth and Gerard Moreno won't be available for the game against Young Boys.
Injuries: Juan Foyth, Gerard Moreno
Ineligible: Serge Aurier
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Young Boys
Young Boys have a lot of injury problems heading into the game against Villarreal. Goalkeeper David von Ballmoos is out with a shoulder injury. Cedric Zesiger, Mohamed Ali Camara, Joel Monteiro, Esteban Petignat, Fabian Lustenberger and Jean-Pierre Nsame are all sidelined as well.
Injuries: Cedric Zesiger, Mohamed Ali Camara, Joel Monteiro, Esteban Petignat, Fabian Lustenberger, David von Ballmoos, Jean-Pierre Nsame
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Villarreal vs Young Boys Predicted Lineups
Villarreal Predicted XI (4-4-2): Geronimo Rulli; Alberto Moreno, Pau Torres, Raul Albiol, Mario Gaspar; Etienne Capoue, Francis Coquelin, Dani Parejo; Arnaut Danjuma, Yeremi Pino, Paco Alcacer
Young Boys Predicted XI (4-4-2): Guillaume Faivre, Silvan Hefti, Sandro Lauper, Jordan Lefort, Ulisses Garcia; Vincent Sierro, Christopher Martins Pereira, Michel Aebischer; Moumi Ngamaleu; Meschak Elia, Jordan Siebatcheu
Villarreal vs Young Boys Prediction
Neither team is in great form. Both Villarreal and Young Boys have lost three of their last five games across all competitions. But Unai Emery's side should be able to get the better of Young Boys here.
Prediction: Villarreal 3-1 Young Boys