Villarreal vs Manchester City Preview

The Estadio de la Cerámica sets the stage for a mesmerizing continental showdown as Villarreal prepare to host Manchester City in what promises to be a tactical masterpiece between two sides displaying contrasting fortunes. El Submarino Amarillo find themselves navigating choppy waters with an inconsistent run of form that has seen them struggle to find their rhythm across domestic and European competitions. Their recent performances showcase a team caught between brilliance and frustration, managing just two victories in their last five outings – home wins over Athletic Club and Sevilla – while suffering draws against Real Betis and Juventus, plus a painful 3-1 defeat at home to Real Madrid. The Yellow Submarine’s inability to convert promising positions into consistent results has become a concerning pattern, particularly evident in their Champions League draw with Juventus where they surrendered a potential victory.

Manchester City arrive in Castellón carrying the momentum of an impressive winning streak that demonstrates their relentless pursuit of excellence across all competitions. The Citizens have been in scintillating form, securing four victories in their last five encounters, including commanding wins over Everton, Brentford, Burnley, and Huddersfield Town, with only a 2-2 draw against AS Monaco preventing a perfect record. Pep Guardiola’s side has showcased their trademark attacking fluidity and defensive solidity, with their recent 5-1 demolition of Burnley highlighting their ability to overwhelm opposition with clinical precision. The Sky Blues’ European credentials remain unquestioned, and their recent draw with Monaco demonstrated their resilience against quality continental opposition.

The historical backdrop adds a fascinating dimension to this encounter, with Manchester City holding a psychological edge from their previous meetings over a decade ago. Their last encounters in the Champions League during 2011 produced contrasting fortunes, with City claiming a narrow 2-1 victory at home before Villarreal secured a commanding 3-0 triumph at the Estadio de la Cerámica in the group stages. Football enthusiasts worldwide can witness this captivating continental battle at 20:00 GMT, with comprehensive coverage available through multiple broadcasting platforms. UK supporters can follow the action on discovery+ and Amazon Prime Video, while German fans can tune into DAZN Germany or Sky Go. Spanish viewers have access through Movistar+ and Movistar Liga de Campeones, and French audiences can watch on myCANAL.

Villarreal could set up in a 4-4-2 formation with several key players missing through injury. Logan Costa, Pau Cabanes and Willy Kambwala are all ruled out, while Juan Foyth remains doubtful for selection. Alberto Moleiro had a solid display last time around and should retain his place in the starting eleven.

Manchester City are likely to deploy their familiar 4-1-4-1 system with significant absences in their squad. Abdukodir Khusanov and Rodri are both out injured, while Rayan Ait-Nouri also misses out. Omar Marmoush is back available and will bring fresh attacking options, with this being a special fixture for Rodri who began his career at Villarreal.

Possible Line-ups

Villarreal (4-4-2)

Júnior, Navarro, Veiga, Marín, Gueye, Parejo, Mikautadze, Pépé, Buchanan, Pedraza, Moleiro

Manchester City (4-1-4-1)

Donnarumma, O’Reilly, Savinho, Reijnders, Gonzalez, Haaland, Foden, Gvardiol, Doku, Nunes, Dias

Villarreal Form 🟡

Team	Result	Opponent	Competition	Date
Villarreal	🤝 2-2	Real Betis	Spanish LALIGA	Oct 18, 2025
Villarreal	❌ 1-3	Real Madrid	Spanish LALIGA	Oct 4, 2025
Villarreal	🤝 2-2	Juventus	Champions League	Oct 1, 2025
Villarreal	✅ 1-0	Athletic Club	Spanish LALIGA	Sep 27, 2025
Villarreal	✅ 2-1	Sevilla	Spanish LALIGA	Sep 23, 2025

Manchester City Form 🔵

Team	Result	Opponent	Competition	Date
Manchester City	✅ 2-0	Everton	English Premier League	Oct 18, 2025
Manchester City	✅ 1-0	Brentford	English Premier League	Oct 5, 2025
Manchester City	🤝 2-2	AS Monaco	Champions League	Oct 1, 2025
Manchester City	✅ 5-1	Burnley	English Premier League	Sep 27, 2025
Manchester City	✅ 2-0	Huddersfield Town	English Carabao Cup	Sep 24, 2025

Head to Head Record 📊

Home Team	Result	Away Team	Competition	Date
Villarreal	3-0	Manchester City	Champions League	Nov 2, 2011
Manchester City	2-1	Villarreal	Champions League	Oct 18, 2011

TV Listings / Streaming 📺

Country	Channel
United Kingdom	discovery+, Amazon Prime Video, TNT Sports 1
Germany	DAZN Germany, Sky Go, Amazon Prime Video
Spain	Movistar+, Movistar Liga de Campeones 2
France	myCANAL, Canal+ Live 4
Italy	SKY Go Italia, Sky Sport 255
USA	Paramount+, DAZN USA, Amazon Prime Video
Canada	DAZN Canada, Amazon Prime Video
Netherlands	Ziggo Sport 3
Portugal	DAZN Portugal
Australia	Stan Sport