- 1 Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal: two teams arriving from opposite directions
- 2 Borussia Dortmund: three straight wins and an attack in full flow
- 3 Villarreal: still no win and a squad heavily rebuilt
- 4 Champions League Prediction Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal
- 5 First, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal: two teams arriving from opposite directions 
Borussia Dortmund host Villarreal on Tuesday September 8 in the opening round of the league phase. Kick-off is at 21:00, German and French time.
The two clubs head into Europe on very different runs. Dortmund are on a three-game winning streak in all competitions, while Villarreal are still waiting for their first league win of the season.
The Yellow Submarine sit in the bottom half of La Liga with two points from four matches. Six goals scored, eight conceded: the numbers point to a side that has not found its balance yet.
Dortmund finished second behind Bayern Munich last season, and Niko Kovac wants more this time. The start has been clean: 2-0 against Hamburg in the Bundesliga, then 5-0 in the German Cup and a late 3-2 win at Hoffenheim.
Villarreal, though, did finish third in La Liga in 2025-26, which explains their place at this level. The summer window, however, stripped the squad back, with thirteen departures and only two arrivals.
Another detail that matters: Villarreal have yet to play a single home match this season. Their four league games so far have all been away from home, bringing two draws and two defeats.
The league phase runs across eight matchdays until January 27 2027. Picking up three points at home from the off carries real weight in the race for qualification spots.
Villarreal finished their fourth La Liga matchday on Saturday September 5 with a 2-3 defeat to Deportivo La Coruna. Their most encouraging result so far remains the 2-2 draw at Atletico Madrid at the end of August 2026.
On paper, the balance of power looks pretty clear. The real question is Dortmund’s back line, which has been badly hit ahead of this one.
Borussia Dortmund: three straight wins and an attack in full flow 
Dortmund opened their Bundesliga campaign with a 2-0 win over Hamburg, wrapped up by half-time. Serhou Guirassy and Giannis Konstantelias did the damage in the first half.
Three days later, the German Cup brought more of the same with a 5-0 hammering of HEBC Hamburg. Those back-to-back clean sheets were the club’s first since February 2026.
Matchday two in the Bundesliga delivered another victory, a 3-2 success at Hoffenheim on Friday September 5. Dortmund won it despite conceding twice, a reminder of just how dangerous they are going forward.
Guirassy remains Kovac’s main man up front, scoring on the opening league weekend. Marcel Sabitzer and Konstantinos Karetsas played behind him at Hoffenheim.
The biggest blow is Konstantelias, who suffered an ACL injury after scoring on his Bundesliga debut. Samuele Inacio, 18, was also suspended after his red card against Hamburg.
The defensive absentees list is a long one. Emre Can is returning from an ACL injury and Nico Schlotterbeck was still one or two weeks away from training again, according to his coach.
Ramy Bensebaini was a late fitness check after a rib problem, which left Daniel Svensson, Waldemar Anton and Joane Gadou to make up the back three. The midfield also loses Justin Lerma, who has a muscle issue.
Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha were set to feature in midfield against Hoffenheim. Gregor Kobel stays in goal behind a heavily reshaped defence.
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Villarreal: still no win and a squad heavily rebuilt 
Four league games, no wins: Villarreal have picked up two points from 12. The table has them in the lower reaches of the division with six goals scored and eight conceded.
It began with two 2-2 draws, first at Racing Santander and then at Atletico Madrid. That second result remains the pick of the bunch.
Things have been less convincing since, with a 1-0 defeat at Alaves followed by another setback, a 2-3 loss to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday September 5. Failing to score against a mid-table side raises obvious questions about the finishing in this group.
The answer lies largely in the transfer window. Villarreal brought in only Peter Gulacsi and Nathan Saliba in summer 2026, while thirteen players left on loan or permanently.
Inigo Perez is therefore working with a thin core, with Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze tasked with sparking the final third. Alex Freeman was expected to operate on the right.
Juan Foyth was among the doubts before the visit of Deportivo La Coruna. Pau Navarro was the first replacement if the Argentine did not make it.
The expected side against Deportivo La Coruna had Junior in goal, with Santiago Comesana and Pape Gueye in midfield. Georges Mikautadze led the line.
The contrast with last season is stark. Villarreal finished third in La Liga in 2025-26, a standing that has little to do with the current two-point return.
The fixture list is not helping either. Villarreal head to Germany for their European trip just three days after their fourth league match, and they still have not played a single game in front of their own fans.
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Likely Borussia Dortmund line-up: Not available at the time of publication.
Likely Villarreal line-up: Not available at the time of publication.
Champions League Prediction Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal
Our prediction: Borussia Dortmund to win
Three straight wins in all competitions and ten goals in three games: Dortmund are coming in hot. The 3-2 win at Hoffenheim underlined an attack that has not cooled off, even with the defensive absentees.
Villarreal, meanwhile, have not won all season and have conceded eight goals in four matches. A defence shipping two a game is not likely to stand up for long against Guirassy.
The setting matters too. The Spanish side are making their first European away trip of the season with a squad stripped of thirteen departures, in a stadium known for its noise.
Borussia Dortmund win this one. That’s the call.
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