Champions League: Three keys for Unai Emery's Villarreal to complete a shock upset over Bayern Munich
Bayern have star power, but don't underestimate Villarreal's talent, they sport one of the best midfielders in Spain

Bayern Munich welcome Villarreal CF to Allianz Arena on Tuesday for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie with the Spanish outfit leading 1-0 from the opening leg and able to advance in the event of a goalless draw (catch all the Champions League action on Paramount+). The chances of Arnaut Danjuma's early strike being the deciding goal are slim, especially given how prolific the German giants can still be, but Villarreal showed last week that created chances count for nothing unless they end up in the back of the net.
Unai Emery's men were great on the home turf, but they will need to replicate and perhaps even better that if they are to do the unthinkable in Bavaria and edge Bayern out of this season's Champions League reckoning. Approaching leg two with the same mentality and a knowledge that opportunities will be at a premium are both givens so here are three key areas for El Submarino Amarillo to focus on to keep this campaign's underdog story alive.
50 - Spanish coaches with at least 50 games managed in @ChampionsLeague history:
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 7, 2022
145 - Pep Guardiola
95 - Rafa Benítez
60 - Vicente del Bosque
58 - Javier Irureta
50 - UNAI EMERY
Leaders. 👨✈️🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/2nTIrcOIyt
1. Limit Lewandowski (again)
Easier said than done and few teams manage to keep the Poland international quiet for more than one game but giving Robert Lewandowski as few opportunities to hurt them as possible will give Villarreal a better chance of avoiding defeat. Bayern are far from a one-man team, but the 33-year-old is as key as they come for Julian Nagelsmann's men and is the most likely source of goals and damage ahead of Tuesday's encounter so limit his involvement and that is one major pitfall navigated. Lewandowski only had two shots in the first leg and there have only been three games combined between the Bundesliga and Champions League where he managed fewer than that this term. Repeating that is the first step to slowing Bayern down.
Villarreal have their own goal machine, but it is a two-headed attack in Gerard Moreno and Arnaut Danjuma who really need to catch fire here as they search for what could potentially be a killer goal in the tie. Between the two of them they account for 36.4% of the team's goals in La Liga and the Champions League combined. Moreno is the more complete player and in addition to his goal scoring, he also creates for Villarreal and averages two chances created per 90 minutes on the field. It is more than likely that if Villarreal walk away victorious it will be because Moreno created something and Danjuma put it away.
Craving even more coverage of the world's game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.
2. Wide wrangle
The home side's secondary attacking threat will come from out wide where you have the likes of Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane and the onrushing Alphonso Davies who all have the pace and the technical quality to cause problems. Those four wing players lead Bayern in touches in the attacking third per 90. Juan Foyth and Pervis Estupinan were superb in the opening leg, and they will need to put in equally impressive displays to frustrate Bayern's wing wonders once more with Thomas Muller another threat to consider while he drifts around on the edge of Villarreal's box.
6 - @VillarrealCFen's topscorers in @ChampionsLeague history:
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 6, 2022
6 - @Danjuma 🇳🇱
4 - Joseba Llorente 🇪🇸
3 - @MarcosSenna19 🇪🇸
3 - @GiuseppeRossi22 🇮🇹
Groguets. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/eOwZ36mXOz
It was not that they kept those attackers from getting on the ball in the first leg as all four players actually averaged more final third touches per 90 on the day than on the season, but it was Villarreal's relentlessly perfect positioning which meant that the wingers were consistently unable to use that possession to create great chances. The Spaniards themselves have decent wide options with Samuel Chukwueze and Giovani Lo Celso arguably the most capable of causing their hosts difficulty if deployed there, but it will obviously be a different kind of danger. Bayern's wingers want to break down set defenses while Villarreal hit you on the break and they will have to do so in order to keep the game balanced.
3. Midfield mastery
Perhaps the most important battle of the evening will be fought in midfield with Dani Parejo, Etienne Capoue and Francis Coquelin all crucial in terms of their experience and ability to compete physically and technically with Bayern's impressive arsenal in the middle of the park. If the likes of Parejo and Lo Celso can see enough of the ball, Danjuma and Moreno can hope to get looks in on Manuel Neuer who looked surprisingly shaky in Spain and was fortunate to not concede more than once when he misjudged Coquelin's looping ball in.
7 - @VillarrealCFen have played more knockout stage home games without ever losing than any other team in @ChampionsLeague history (GP7 W2 D5).
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 6, 2022
Olympus. 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/41En2BaxPs
Parejo, in particular, remains one of Spain's most underrated midfield engines. Very few in the world provide the volume of passing he has with the amount of chances he creates for teammates. He is ninth in La Liga with 69 passes attempted per 90 and sixth with 2.21 chances created -- the only other player in Spain in the top ten in both categories is Toni Kroos. Midfielders alone, he is first in both chances created and expected assists. Of the midfielders who touch the ball more than him, four play for Real Madrid and the other is Barcelona's Sergio Busquets. Parejo is a legitimate midfield stud, and Villarreal pulling off the impossible depends upon him.
It is hard to compete with Muller, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka and Jamal Musiala on paper, but Parejo can. If he leads the midfield in a repeat of last week's performance, there is hope for Emery that his players can build on that base and complete Bayern's undoing in front of their own fans.
















