Villarreal will be desperate to clinch their first win of the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League as they travel to Borussia Dortmund on matchday five. This match on Tuesday between the 14th-placed Die Borussen and the 32nd-placed ‘Yellow Submarine’ in Dortmund comes with our prediction of over 2.5 goals scored.
Ahead of this matchday, Dortmund’s seven points (W2, D1, L1) put them two points outside the top eight but just one point above the 17th-placed Atletico Madrid. Villarreal have everything to play for, as they start this round with only one point (D1, L3) above the bottom two sides.
That puts pressure on Villarreal to go all out for a win before it’s too late for playoff qualification. Interestingly, Dortmund’s recent form has been up and down, while Villarreal bring rich form coming into this fixture. Can the Spaniards capitalise on this and secure a victory? Will the Germans continue their strong record in the Champions League? Read more for our analysis, team news and match predictions.
The Germans had to replace the underperforming Nuri Sahin with Niko Kovac last season, and he managed to lift the team to fourth place. They have already fallen far behind Bayern, but overall, they are staying confidently among the contenders for the remaining spots in the top four. The Spaniards managed to regain their lost positions in the 2024/2025 season. Currently, they are even holding third place, trailing only Real Madrid and Barcelona, and ahead of Real.
In the Champions League, Guirassy and company started with a missed win in Turin—despite leading 4-2 in the 90th minute, they allowed Juventus to score twice. After that, there were solid victories: 4-1 at home over Athletic, 4-2 away against Copenhagen. But in the last round, they lost without a chance to Manchester City, with the English side scoring four times!
Marcelino’s team started with a frustrating defeat, losing to Tottenham due to an own goal by the goalkeeper. Hopes were raised by a draw snatched at home against Juventus. However, they lost “to nil” again—not only to Manchester City, but also 0-1 to debutants Pafos in the last round!
Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal: Key Statistics & Trends
Borussia Dortmund have won two of their last three rounds
The German giants score an average of 3.25 goals but concede 2.75 per game
Villarreal have lost three of their four Champions League matches
Ayoze Pérez and company average 0.5 goals scored and 1.5 goals conceded per game
Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal: Probable Starting Line-ups
Borussia Dortmund (probable line-up): Kobel – Bensebaini, N. Schlotterbeck, Anton – Svensson, Bayer, Bellingham, Nmecha, Sabitzer, Ryerson – Guirassy
Villarreal (probable line-up): Junior – S. Cardona, Veiga, Foyth, Mourinho – Moleiro, Parejo, Guye, Pepe – Mikautadze, Ayoze Pérez.
