Prediction: Villarreal vs Manchester United

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 49/20

Bookmaker: 888sport

The Champions League is back with all teams having two fixtures left to try and book their place in the next round of the competition. A lot of the groups are still up in the air and that’s particularly accurate when describing Group F. All four clubs are in with a shot of making it through to the knockout stage and the two that are currently leading the way, Manchester United and Villarreal, will renew their 2021 rivalry when they meet in Spain this week.

Villarreal

The Europa League holders appear to be harnessing all of their energy into Europe this season because in La Liga, things have been a bit uncertain. They can’t quite seem to compete with the elite of the elite in Spanish football right now but in European competition, they’ve found a good formula. If they can overcome the odds and beat United here then their destiny will be in their own hands prior to the final game of the group stage.

Team News

Aurier is ineligible for this one with Capoue and Danjuma currently being viewed as fitness doubts. Elsewhere, star forward Gerard Moreno will serve as a big miss as he’s still on the shelf through injury.

Manchester United

The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era at Old Trafford has finally come to an end after their humbling defeat to Watford over the weekend. In truth, it had been a long time coming, and even Ole himself will be well aware of that fact. The club couldn’t carry on as they were and they needed to mix things up – which is why, with Michael Carrick now at the helm on an interim basis, it’ll be interesting to see how they can bounce back.

Team News

After testing positive for COVID-19, Greenwood is still unavailable to play here. There are a handful of other key injuries for Carrick to deal with as Pogba, Varane, Cavani and Shaw will all be unavailable for a fixture that could offer a vital insight into how the next few months are going to pan out.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting back in September, Man United beat Villarreal 2-1.
• Villarreal have won two, drawn two and lost two of their last six games.
• Man United have won two, drawn one and lost three of their last six games.
• Villarreal have scored eight goals and conceded eight in their last six games.
• Man United have scored nine goals and conceded 15 in their last six games.

Conclusion

Any Champions League game is bound to be unpredictable and that’s going to be especially true given the circumstances surrounding this one. We think it’s going to be a frantic affair with a lot of attempts on goal from both sides, mainly due to the sense of desperation they’re feeling right now. Alas, we don’t think the actual quality of the game is going to be that high, which is why we’re backing this to end in a 1-1 draw – and potentially even 0-0.

Prediction: Draw

Best Odds: 49/20

Bookmaker: 888sport