Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will be looking to continue their unbeaten run in the Villarreal vs Manchester City clash in the Champions League on Tuesday, October 21.
The Cityzens have won one and drawn one of their Champions League matches so far, whilst remaining on good form in the Premier League, unbeaten in five matches and second in the table.
Villarreal manager Marcelino has overseen a good start to the season as his side sit third in La Liga. However, Villarreal have accumulated only one point from their first two Champions League matches this season and sit 26th in the Champions League table.
Pep Guardiola’s side will travel to Spain, expecting to score three more points in their Champions League campaign. However, they will be wary of Villarreal’s potential. A draw against Monaco in their last encounter may be considered an inadequate result for Guardiola’s men in their last encounter, and they will look to ensure that that result isn’t replicated against Villarreal.
Match Details
Estadio De La Ceramica
Villarreal, Spain
October 21
20:00 BST
Can Villarreal Use Experience to Their Advantage Against Manchester City?
Often in football matches, when teams go into matches as “the underdogs”, they look to experienced players to help them pose a challenge against the opposition. This is something Villarreal possess in abundance, through the likes of Gerard Moreno and Dani Parejo.
Moreno has been ever-present for Villarreal for six years, and Parejo for four years. Both players present an abundance of knowledge about the club, as well as a level of footballing know-how, at the ages of 33 and 36. Although they often come up against players of a more youthful nature, both players have adapted their game to ensure they can maximise their capabilities and play at the top level.
The Spanish side also possess a number of other players over the age of 30, including Thomas Partey and Ayoze Perez. Partey joined the club as a free agent in the summer, after a high level of experience with Premier League side Arsenal, while Ayoze Perez joined in 2024, adding experience with Spanish sides as well as Premier League sides including Newcastle and Leicester.
Villarreal vs Manchester City: One of the Champions League’s Biggest Mismatches So Far?
When analysing the Champions League table, it is evident to many that the Villarreal vs Manchester City clash is one of the biggest mismatches of this season’s competition so far, on paper. Manchester City sit seventh in the table, in comparison to Villarreal at the opposite end of the table, in 26th.
Although the gap between the two teams in the Champions League table is vast, many will argue that the difference in quality is less vast. At the time of writing, the Spanish side occupy a position around the likes of PSV and Copenhagen, but they may consider themselves a better side than the table currently shows.
However, Villarreal vs Manchester City will be a tough match for the side to change their fortunes within.
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Are Manchester City Coming Into Form?
After early defeats in the Premier League against the likes of Brighton and Tottenham, Pep Guardiola’s men have removed some of those early inconsistencies as they look to maximise their points in the Premier League and Champions League.
The Cityzens made some late additions to their side, including Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and it is these moves that have ensured Manchester City are a more solid outfit.
Manchester City’s unbeaten run now stretches to nine games in all competitions, something which they will further look to build on in Villarreal vs Manchester City.
Villarreal vs Manchester City Injuries
Villarreal injuries: Pau Cabanes, Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala
Manchester City injuries: Rayan Cherki, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rodri
Villarreal vs Manchester City Predicted Lineups
Both managers in this fixture will be looking to field their strongest lineups in order to push for the most effective outcome from this game and maximise the benefits for their Champions League campaign. Here we look at the Villarreal vs Manchester City predicted lineups.
Villarreal predicted XI: Arnau Tenas (GK), Alfonzo Pedraza, Renato Veiga, Rafa Marin, Pau Navarro, Alberto Moleiro, Santi Comesana, Dani Parejo, Tajon Buchanan, Tani Oluwaseyi, Gerard Moreno
Manchester City predicted XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Nico O’Reilly, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Matheus Nunes, Nico Gonzalez, Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Tijani Reijnders, Savinho, Erling Haaland
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Recording Date: 18.10.2025