Villarreal continues their quest to pick up the Europa League title this week as they travel to Dynamo Kyiv. The match schedules for Thursday at Olimpiysky National Sports Complex, with a kickoff at 8:55 pm.
The visitors head into Thursday’s first leg, having eased past Red Bull Salzburg, while Kyiv got the better part of Club Brugge in the last 32 ties.
Having breezed this stage of the competition, most teams were fearful of getting drawn to Villarreal last month. The side has gone on an eight unbeaten streak in the European scene while failing to win the same amount of games in La Liga.
The Yellow Submarines run a risk of missing out on continental football for next season, heaping more pressure on Unai Emery ahead of this two-legged tie. Even though Villarreal enters as favorites, it has been 13 matches since they have last scored more than two goals in a game.
Furthermore, the side needed to move past their recent capitulation against Valencia last Saturday. The side conceded two goals in the last five minutes to make a 2-1 defeat.
In contrast, Dynamo Kyiv has been on an upward trajectory since returning from the winter break. The side has gone seven games without a defeat across all competitions. Their last victory comes in their 3-0 win over lowly Minai. The side has a four-point advantage over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Dynamo Kyiv vs Villarreal Head to Head
Both sides are yet to meet at this stage of the competition. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 FC Minaj
Dynamo Kyiv 0-0 Kolos Kovalika
FC Lyiv 1-4 Dynamo Kyiv
Club Brugge 0-1 Dynamo Kyiv
Desna Chernihiv 1-1 Dynamo Kyiv
Away
Valencia 2-1 Villarreal
Villarreal 0-2 Atletico Madrid
Villarreal 2-1 Red Bull Salzburg
Dynamo Kyiv Team News
Lucescu continues without several key players due to injuries, including Denys Popov and Viktor Tsygankov. Volodymyr Shepelev and Gerson Rodrigues may return to the starting XI after coming off the bench in the last match.
Villarreal Team News
Emery expects to make several alterations to the starting lineup. Geronimo Rulli, Jaume Costa and Manu Trigueros are likely to get drafted into the starting XI. Injury doubts ahead of the clash include Alberto Moreno, Francis Coquelin and Vincente Iborra.
Prediction and Odds
Despite their away in the last round, Kyiv knows that they cannot afford any setback with a home victory this time.
Villarreal Win
Both Teams to Score
Goals Over 2.5
