Villarreal vs Manchester City Prediction & Picks - Champions League

Prediction published on 10/21/25, 11:49 AM  by Carlos Zabala | Modified on 10/21/25 at 4:55 PM in Champions League Picks

Villarreal returns to the Champions League after a bitter result in the league. They were leading 2-0 against Real Betis at the weekend, but they were sloppy late in the match and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. They suffered the same result in the Champions League against Juventus the previous day; Villarreal equalized late on with a goal from Veiga. On Tuesday, the Yellow Submarine hosts Manchester City, and the Premier League team is the overwhelming favorite to win.

Guardiola's team is finally close to returning to its best form. Haaland scored twice at the Etihad Stadium, beating Everton 2-0. The Norwegian is beyond inspired, amid a scoring pace rarely seen for any footballer; since May 25, he has scored 30 goals for Manchester City and also for the Norwegian national team.

Villarreal is brave in attacking, does well on the counterattack, and has a large number of players— a strategy that, however, has been ineffective against elite football. On October 4, Villarreal lost to Real Madrid 1-3. A similar result against the Citizens would not be surprising. In fact, Villarreal has not won any of its last eight competitive matches against Premier League opposition.