The Round 8 group stage match of the Champions League 2025/26 between Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) and Villarreal (Spain) will take place on 28 january at BayArena in Leverkusen. Bayer Leverkusen vs Villarreal: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen lost the chance to finish in the top 8. The hosts fell four points short of the top eight after losing in the previous round away to Olympiacos 0:2. Before that the hosts had gone three matches unbeaten in this competition (2 wins and 1 draw). Ahead of the final group match Bayer Leverkusen occupy a low 20th place, and to guarantee participation in the playoffs the home side must beat the Spaniards.
- The club has failed to win in 7 of its last 9 Champions League matches (3 draws and 4 defeats).
- No more than three goals were scored in 9 of Bayer Leverkusen’s last 12 games in this competition.
- At home the hosts have not won in this European competition in four consecutive matches (2 draws and 2 defeats).
Potential Bayer Leverkusen Lineup (3-4-3)
Janis Blaswich – Robert Andrich, Jarell Quansah, Loic Bade – Alex Grimaldo, Ignacio Fernandez, Ibrahim Maza, Lucas Vasquez – Malik Tillman, Patrik Schick, Ernest Poku.
First-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken, defender Edmond Tapsoba and midfielder Nathan Tella are injured.
Villarreal
Villarreal lost to Ajax at their own ground in the last round, going down 1:2, and the visitors’ losing run in this competition has grown to five matches. These results meant the visitors were among the first to lose any chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Ahead of the final group match Villarreal sit second to last in the standings and, together with Kairat, have only one point. Besides these two clubs, only Slavia Prague also still has not recorded a win.
- Villarreal’s winless run in this competition already stands at 10 matches (2 draws and 8 defeats).
- The club has lost each of its last four away matches in the Champions League.
- The visitors have failed to score in their last 4 away games in this European competition.
Potential Villarreal Lineup (4-4-2)
Luis Junior – Rafael Marin, Sergi Cardona, Renato Veiga, Pau Navarro – Nicolas Pepe, Thomas Party, Santi Comesana, Alberto Moleiro – Tani Oluwaseyi, Ayoze Perez.
Defenders Logan Costa, Juan Foyth and Willy Kambwala, as well as forward Pau Cabanes, are sidelined through injury. Defender Santiago Mourinho will miss the match due to suspension.
Referee
Espen Eskos (Norway)
Matches – 7 (International matches, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (including second yellows) – 23;
Average Yellow/Red Cards Per Match – 3.3;
Red Cards Shown – 0;
Fouls Average Per Match – 22;
Penalties – 29%.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Villarreal: Match Prediction
Villarreal can already concentrate solely on their national competition. Interestingly, the visitors are fighting successfully in La Liga for a top 4 finish, while in the Champions League after 7 matches they have collected only one point. Very likely, having no tournament motivation, the visitors will not put in much effort to gain points in this meeting. It is quite possible that they will even extend their “dry” away losing run in this European competition to five matches.
Bayer Leverkusen, however, need only a win. Even a draw may deprive the home side of any chance to finish in the top 24. In addition, the hosts now have the opportunity to finally win at home in the Champions League, as they had not won in their previous four consecutive matches. It is also worth noting that Bayer Leverkusen have only 2 defeats in their last 8 home games in this European competition (4 wins and 2 draws). Both defeats, however, came against very strong opponents – Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Interestingly, all 4 victories in that run were clean sheets.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen (-1)
