Villarreal welcomes Austria Vienna to the Ciutat de Valencia on Thursday, with a qualification from the Europa Conference League all but assured with kickoff at 10 pm.
The story of Villarreal this season has been their inability to score against teams below them in the table.
After losing to Deportivo Alaves, Levante, Elche, and Cadiz last campaign, a goalless draw at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Saturday represents another annoying blank in a game that they should have won.
The club from Castellon has had no issues scoring in European competition, however, netting six goals from their opening two games in Group C, including a dramatic 4-3 win over Lech Poznan at the start of September.
Alex Baena has particularly enjoyed his Thursday nights this campaign, with three goals, including the winner last time out at Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
After a 3-0 defeat to Sturm Graz in the Austrian Bundesliga, Manfred Schmid’s men dropped into seventh place. The visitors’ next fixture is against Lech Poznan, in the Conference League.
Their goal difference took a hit after Andreas Gruber curled wide with a left-footed strike in the 36th minute. With 56% of the ball and 14 efforts on goal, Die Veilchen were punished for their wastefulness in attack as midfielder Manfred Fischer had a 36th-minute penalty.
Villarreal vs. Austria Wein Head to Head
Both sides have yet to face each other, marking their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Cadiz 0-0 Villarreal
- Villarreal 1-1 Sevilla
- Sheva 1-2 Villarreal
- Betis 1-0 Villarreal
Away
- Austria Wein 0-3 Sturm
- Austria Wein 3-0 Reid
- Lech 4-1 Austria Wein
- Hartberg 0-3 Austria Wein
Villarreal Team News
Villarreal will be without striker Gerard Moreno, who has hamstring discomfort. The forward has admitted that the “sensations were not good,” and he could be out for another few weeks. Alongside him, Manu Trigueros, Alberto Moreno, and Juan Foyth will all miss out with their respective long-term injuries.
Austria Wein Team News
Long-term injuries to Ziad El Sheiwi, Johannes Handl, and Florian Wustinger continue to plague the visitors. The club’s ninth-most expensive signing, Marko Raguz, has yet to play a game up front for his new side but is training again and may be in contention for a place on the bench.
Prediction and Odds
Villarreal have had a great start to the Conference League, so we expect them to take their chance against a struggling side in this match.
- Home Win
- Goals Over 3.5
- First Half: 2-0
