The draw has been decided, with Villarreal now confirmed as the Bianconeri’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 opponents. The Spanish side, who won last season’s Europa League title, finished second in their Champions League group behind Manchester United, ahead of Atalanta and Young Boys. This will be the first-ever meeting between Juventus and Villarreal.
UCL JOURNEY SO FAR
Unai Emery's team qualified for the Champions League Round of 16 on Matchday 6, beating Atalanta 3-2 away from home. The "Yellow Submarine’s" European campaign began with a 2-2 home draw against La Dea, and then continued with a defeat at Old Trafford and a victory in Bern against Young Boys. They repeated this success with a 2-0 win over their Swiss rivals at home. Defeat at the Estadio de la Cerámica (their only loss at home in the Group Stages) against Manchester United forced the Spaniards to compete directly for qualification for the Round of 16 in Bergamo. And it was precisely that final-day victory against Gian Piero Gasperini’s men that secured a passage to the knockout phase of the competition.
In summary, Villarreal qualified second with 10 points, obtained thanks to three wins and a draw, with 12 goals scored and nine conceded. The team’s top scorer from the Group Stages is Arnaut Danjuma, who has four goals to his name.
LA LIGA FORM
After 16 league games, the reigning Europa League champions currently occupy 13th position in the standings with 19 points, having scored 18 goals and conceded 17. This past weekend they earned a 2-0 victory against Rayo Vallecano, their first league victory in their last three La Liga matches. Danjuma is also Villarreal's top scorer in the league, having netted five league goals so far this campaign.
STATS & FACTS
- This will be the first confrontation in European competition between Juventus and Villarreal.
- Juventus have won six of their last nine games in European competition against Spanish teams (one draw and two losses).
- Juventus have only lost four of their 31 home games in UEFA competitions against Spanish opponents (18 wins, 9 draws), including the most recent against Barcelona (0-2 in October 2020).