Bayer Leverkusen and Villarreal to lock heads in the decisive leg; UEFA Europa League preview
The UEFA Europa League continues as Villarreal will host Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie. The game will be played on Thursday, the 17 of March at El Madrigal, Vila-real. The first leg between the two teams ended
with a 3-2 score line in favour of Villarreal.
Villarreal
Villarreal are currently fourth in the La Liga with fifty-one points, a mammoth twenty-four points adrift the current league leaders and Spanish giants, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Barcelona-c39078. Of the twenty-eight games that they have played so far, the Yellow Submarines have won
fifteen while seven have ended in defeats. When playing at home, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carlos-c8346 Garrido’s side have been in sublime form, losing just once and winning eleven of the fifteen games. They have scored forty-seven goals as compared to the thirty that they have conceded.
Villarreal, in their last five games, have lost only once; a defeat to Atletico Madrid, while they managed to register wins over Hercules CF and Bayer Leverkusen. The other two games failed to produce a winner.
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer, on the other hand, are second in the Bundesliga with fifty-two points, nine points behind the current Bundesliga leaders, Borussia Dortmund. Of the twenty-six games played so far, The Werkshelf have emerged victorious in fifteen games to go along
with four losses. Amazingly, Bayer’s away form has been better than their home form. The Werkshelf have won nine games away from home while losing only once. Leverkusen, in their last five games, have registered three wins while losing out once to Villarreal.
The remaining game was played against Werder Bremen that ended in a stalemate.
Team News
Villarreal
The Yellow Submarines are expected to go in with a 4-4-2 formation with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-c11058 Lopez Rodriguez is all set to start in goal for the home side.
Bayer Leverkusen
The visitors, on the other hand, are expected to field a 4-5-1 formation with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Renato-Augusto-c30828 is prepared to play the second striker behind Dirdiyok while Rene Adler will guard the net for the visitors.
Players to Watch from both sides
Rossi will be the man to watch for the home side. The 24-year-old is rated as one of the top strikers in the La Liga, and his role will be no different than usual when he faces the German outfit. Rossi has seven goals to his name in just ten Europa League
matches. The Italian international will be hoping to add to his goals tally against Bayer Leverkusen.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arturo-Vidal-c6760 Pardo will have to play a key role if Bayer are to overturn the deficit and beat the Yellow Submarines. Vidal has two goals from seven games in the competition so far.
Prediction
Villarreal look favourites to win on the home turf which will witness them advance to the quarter-finals of the competition.
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