The Round-8 match of the group stage of the 2025/26 Champions League between Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) and Villarreal (Spain) will take place on 28 january at BayArena in Leverkusen. Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs Villarreal: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen lost the chance to finish in the top eight. The home side is four points behind the top eight. This followed the home side's defeat in the previous round away to Olympiacos by a score of 0:2. Before that, the home side had been unbeaten in this competition for three matches (2 wins and 1 draw). Going into the final group-stage match, the home side occupies a low 20th position, and to secure a place in the play-offs it must beat Villarreal.
- The club has failed to win in 7 of its last 9 Champions League matches (3 draws and 4 losses).
- No more than three goals were scored in 9 of Bayer 04 Leverkusen's last 12 games in this competition.
- The home side have not been able to win at home in this European competition in four consecutive matches (2 draws and 2 losses).
Potential Bayer 04 Leverkusen Lineup (3-4-3)
Janis Blaswich – Robert Andrich, Jarrell Quansah, Loic Bade – Alex Grimaldo, Ignacio Fernandez, Ibrahim Maza, Lucas Vazquez – Malik Tillman, Patrik Schick, Ernest Poku.
First-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken, defender Edmond Tapsoba, and midfielder Nathan Tella are injured.
Villarreal
Villarreal hosted Ajax in the previous round but also lost by a score of 1:2. The losing run in this European competition has grown to five matches. These results meant the team was one of the first to lose chances of reaching the play-offs. Going into the final group-stage match, Villarreal occupies the penultimate place in the standings and, together with Kairat, has only one point. Also, besides these two teams, only SK Slavia Prague has not yet won a match.
- Villarreal's winless run in this competition now stands at 10 matches (2 draws and 8 losses).
- 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 Partey, Santi Comesana, Alberto Moleiro – Tani Oluwaseyi, Ayoze Perez.
Defenders Logan Costa and Willy Kambwala, and forward Pau Cabanes will miss the match due to injury. Defender Santiago Mourinho will not play 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 Per Match On Average – 22;
Penalties – 29%.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs Villarreal: Match Prediction
Villarreal can now focus solely on their domestic competition. Curiously, in La Liga the team is fighting successfully for a top-four finish, while in the Champions League after seven matches it has taken only one point. With a high probability, Villarreal, having no tournament motivation in this match, will not make efforts to earn points. It is quite possible that they will even extend their run of away goalless defeats in this European competition to five matches.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen only need a victory. Even a draw could deprive them of chances to finish in the top-24. In addition, the home side have the opportunity to finally win at home in the Champions League, as before this they had not won in four consecutive matches. It is also worth noting that the home side have suffered only 2 defeats in their previous 8 home games in this European competition (4 wins and 2 draws). However, both defeats came against very strong opponents – Bayern and PSG. Interestingly, all 4 wins in this run were without conceding goals.
Our prediction — Bayer 04 Leverkusen (-1).
Prediction: Bayer 04 Leverkusen (-1)
