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Manchester City will look to end their poor away run in the Champions League when they face Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola's side have failed to win any of their past five away games in Europe, but they arrive in Spain full of confidence after back-to-back Premier League wins over Brentford and Everton.
Erling Haaland has rediscovered his scoring touch with 12 goals in his past eight games for his club, and City's recent defensive solidity has also been impressive.
However, their 2-2 draw with Monaco on matchday two showed that the European away curse lingers.
Villarreal, meanwhile, are yet to claim their first win in this season's Champions League. After losing narrowly to Tottenham in their opener, Marcelino's men rescued a 2-2 draw with Juventus thanks to Renato Veiga's late header.
The Yellow Submarine have been struggling for consistency, going three games without a victory and failing to beat any English side in their last eight attempts.
With City chasing top spot and Villarreal desperate to ignite their campaign, this one promises to be a lively European contest.
MORE: UEFA Champions League fixtures 2025/26: Schedule of matchdays, results
Villarreal vs. Man City: Predicted starting XI and latest team news
Marcelino will once again have to manage without several key defenders for the visit of City. Logan Costa and young striker Pau Cabanes are both sidelined with ACL injuries, while former Manchester United man Willy Kambwala remains out due to a hamstring problem.
Juan Foyth is also expected to miss out through injury, leaving Villarreal short at the back. However, right-back Santiago Mourino returns after serving a La Liga suspension and is likely to go straight into the starting lineup.
Nicolas Pepe and Georges Mikautadze, who linked up for a goal against Juventus, should both feature in attack.
Villarreal predicted starting XI (4-3-3, right to left): Tenas (GK) — Mourino, Marin, Veiga, Cardona — Gueye, Parejo, Comesana — Pepe, Mikautadze, Buchanan
Injured: Costa (ACL), Cabanes (ACL), Kambwala (hamstring), Foyth (unspecified)
Suspended: None
Guardiola's side travel to Spain with mostly positive news on the injury front. Left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri could return from an ankle issue, although Abdukodir Khusanov is still out with a similar problem.
Midfield anchor Rodri remains unavailable as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Guardiola may rotate his squad due to the quick turnaround, meaning Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki could be handed their first Champions League minutes of the season.
Man City predicted starting XI (4-5-1, right to left): Donnarumma (GK) — Nunes, Stones, Gvardiol, O'Reilly — Gonzalez; Bobb, Silva, Foden, Doku — Haaland
Injured: Ait-Nouri (ankle), Khusanov (ankle), Rodri (hamstring)
Suspended: None
Villarreal vs. Man City match details
- Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
- Kickoff time: 9 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 6 a.m. AEDT (Oct. 22)
- Location: Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal (Spain)
- Competition: UEFA Champions League league phase: Matchday 3
- Referee: Serdar Gozubuyuk (NED)
- VAR: Rob Dieperink (NED)
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