Our betting expert expects a competitive game that may end level, with Erling Haaland and Georges Mikautadze among the scorers.
Best Predictions for Villarreal vs Man City
- Villarreal to win or tie @ +115 with bet365
- Georges Mikautadze to score anytime @ +200 with bet365
- Erling Haaland to score anytime @ -138 with bet365
All odds are courtesy of bet365, correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
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Yellow Submarine to get a result
While they have made progress since losing two of their opening three Premier League games, Man City are still a work in progress. They’ve struggled to dominate away matches, only creating 0.1 xG more than their opponents in each of their last two road trips, against Monaco and Brentford.
Villarreal have had less than 50% of the ball in eight of their last nine matches in all competitions. That will almost certainly become nine out of 10 here, but they are dangerous on the break, with pace in wide areas.
They are also more defensively organised this season, allowing only 0.5 xG when they visited Tottenham in the Champions League last month. With a number of key players fresh following weekend rests, they appear capable of getting a result.
- Villarreal vs Man City Prediction 1: Villarreal to win or tie @ +115 with bet365
Mikautadze to strike for the hosts
Villarreal have a number of capable forward players. Ayoze Perez and Gerard Moreno are both proven goalscorers in La Liga, but Georges Mikautadze is likely to be preferred up front here.
The Georgian made a club-record €31m move to the Estadi de la Ceramica on deadline day. He has made a strong start to life in Spain, scoring in three of his last five Villarreal appearances.
The 24-year-old has taken nine shots in his three home games for the club so far, scoring twice, including the opener against Juventus. He averages a goal contribution every 102 minutes in La Liga.
Mikautadze is the most likely source of a home goal in this match. He offers value to score anytime with an implied probability of 25.0%.
- Villarreal vs Man City Prediction 2: Georges Mikautadze to score anytime @ +200 with bet365
Unstoppable Haaland to score again
While there are plenty of talented players in this Man City squad, there is a clear dependence on Erling Haaland at the moment. The Norwegian has been almost unstoppable, with 14 goals in 10 appearances for the English club this term.
Including internationals, Haaland has already scored 22 times. Those goals have come at a stunning strike rate of one every 49 minutes. The 25-year-old has only failed to score once so far this season.
Having also scored three of City’s four goals in the Champions League, he’s sure to provide the biggest threat as far as the visitors are concerned. You can back Haaland to score anytime against Villarreal with an implied probability of 55.6%.
- Villarreal vs Man City Prediction 3: Erling Haaland to score anytime @ -138 with bet365
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction - Villarreal 2-2 Man City
- Goalscorers prediction - Villarreal: Georges Mikautadze, Nicolas Pepe - Man City: Erling Haaland x2
Villarreal are doing well in La Liga, where they currently occupy third place. They’ve only lost twice in nine domestic outings so far this term, with both defeats coming in Madrid.
However, they’ve only picked up one Champions League point so far. That came via a 2-2 home draw against Juventus earlier this month. Having lost their opening fixture against Tottenham, Marcelino’s side really need a result on Tuesday.
Man City also drew their last European match 2-2, against Monaco. They are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions heading into this fixture. The 2023 European champions won six of those matches, including a 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton on Saturday.
Probable lineups for Villarreal vs Man City
Villarreal expected lineup: Tenas, Mourino, Marin, Veiga, Cardona, Buchanan, Gueye, Partey, Solomon, Pepe, Mikautadze
Man City expected lineup: Donnarumma, Nunes, Stones, Gvardiol, O'Reilly, Gonzalez, Silva, Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Haaland