Villarreal and Sporting Lisboa meet at Estadio de la Cerámica, in a return match for this phase of the UEFA Europa League (16th Finals), after the victory outside Villarreal by (0-1) in the first leg. The record of direct confrontations of the last 3 years is favorable to the home team, which in the last 2 matches won 1 and tied 1. Attention to the home factor, since Villarreal usually conquer different results at home and away.
Villarreal:
After the away win by (0-1), the home team comes into this second leg with a 1 goal advantage. This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 2 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses in away matches, with 17 goals scored and 23 conceded; against 5 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses at their stadium, with 32 goals scored and 16 conceded. In the last match they played, for the First Division, they beat Sevilla at home by (3-0). In the last 10 home matches Villarreal has a record of 4 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses.
For this competition, he does not lose 7 games. Defensive consistency has been one of their best features, as they have only conceded goals in 2 of the last 7 matches, and their offense has scored consistently, as they have scored goals in 5 of the last 7 matches for this competition. In 15 games, he never got the comeback in the 7 games in which he suffered the first goal.
The Villarreal team starts for this game with a 3-0 victory at the reception to Sevilla, in a game for the Spanish championship. We remember that the Spaniards are very well positioned to advance in the Europa League, as they beat away Sporting Lisbon in the first leg by 0-1. The home club usually acts in a tactical system in 3-5-2, favoring a more direct style of play. In this tactical drawing, the two men responsible for throwing the panic in the defensive opponent are Ekambi and Bacca: the first athlete is the best score of Villarreal in all competitions, with 12 goals. For this game coach Javier Calleja can not count on Jaume Costa, for suspension.
Sporting Lisboa:
After the defeat at home, the visiting team comes to this second leg with a disvalue of 1 goal and with the difficult task of recovering this negative result as a visitor. This is a team that usually maintains its competitive level in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches he has 8 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses as a visitor; against 10 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses at their stadium. The team comes to this match after a home victory over Sporting Braga by (3-0). In the last 10 away matches for Sporting Lisboa, they have won 6, drawn 1 and lost 3. In 15 appearances, they have only won 2-over in the 8 matches where they conceded the first goal. There is 1 period that stands out in the last 15 away matches for all competitions: they have scored 12 of their 29 goals between minutes (61′-75 ‘).
Sporting Lisbon arrive at this motivated match, having registered a 3-0 victory at the Braga reception. To advance in this Europa League, the lions must necessarily win, since they lost at home in the first leg, by 0-1. The Dutchman Bas Dost is the most offensive reference of the visiting club, being his strongest point the finalization. In the midfield, the Portuguese club can count on the tireless Bruno Fernandes, the team’s top scorer in official competitions, with 21 goals. For this game coach Marcel Keizer can not count on Marcos Acuña, suspended, plus Mathieu and Battaglia, injured.
PREDICTION: Villarreal to win @ 1,90
