Why well-drilled Villarreal have what it takes to knock Bayern Munich out of UEFA Champions League
Very few teams can make Bayern Munich look so ordinary, but Villarreal did exactly that when the two teams came face-to-face last week.
It wasn’t as if it was a club friendly or a game of insignificance; it was a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, and the Yellow Submarines were the dominant side.
Unai Emery has done a tremendous job since moving to the Estadio de la Ceramica. Under him, Villarreal have chalked up some big results against some of Europe’s best teams.
The Yellow Submarines are well-drilled and well-coached. Their impressive performance in the quarterfinal first leg is enough evidence that they can upset Bayern again.
One day left until the big match in Munich!
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Villarreal need to be flawless at Bayern Munich
Villarreal didn’t put a foot wrong when they faced Bayern Munich in the first leg. Emery’s side were dominant and created several chances.
They may have managed to score just once, thanks to Arnaut Danjuma’s eighth-minute finish. However, they deserved to win by a bigger margin if their performance was anything to go by.
The truth is that the second leg at the Allianz Arena could be a completely different affair, though. While Bayern were lethargic and sloppy in Spain, they are expected to be much better at home.
The Bavarians have made it a habit of blowing teams away on home turf. In the previous round, they drew with RB Salzburg in the first leg, only to batter them 7-1 at the Allianz Arena in the return.
Villarreal will need to be flawless to avoid a similar fate. The Yellow Submarines must endeavour to remain in the game for as long as possible. Conceding early could be a recipe for disaster; avoiding that would enable them to pick their moments to get the better of the German champions again.
One day left until the big match in Munich!
#UCL https://t.co/bTORaSYQO4
Villarreal’s knack for upsetting the odds
Emery sounded very confident when he spoke at Monday’s press conference. That's understandable, considering Villarreal’s performances in high-pressure games.
They beat Manchester United in the final of the Europa League last season and also won 3-0 at Juventus in the Round of 16 of this season's UEFA Champions League.
So, Villarreal are clearly a team that has a knack for upsetting the odds. Having already beaten Bayern at home, they certainly have what it takes to repeat their heroics in Germany.
“We will have to be perfect. It will be a very different game from the first leg. I believe it will be even more difficult. Different too from beating Juventus (3-0) in Italy,” Emery noted, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
He continued:
“We're going to have to be able to improve, and I think it will be insufficient with what we did the other day (in the first leg). We will have to defend very close together and close to our box at times, but we will have to be smart and take advantage and be efficient with the opportunities we have.”
Despite their 1-0 lead from the first leg, Villarreal will start as the underdogs, and that fact is well established. However, the Yellow Submarines love being underdogs and relish such challenges.
They certainly have the players and the manager to upset Bayern. However, it remains to be seen how they’ll fare when the Bavarians unleash a plethora of attacks on them at the Allianz Arena.