The Yellows have won six of their seven European ties against Italian opposition
Villarreal CF will fight against Juventus FC to qualify for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. This Wednesday, the Yellows will play for their continuity in Europe’s top competition on Italian soil. It is a country where the Yellows have achieved some impressive results throughout their history.
In continental competition, Villarreal have faced Italian opponents in the knockout stages on a total of seven occasions, coming out victorious on six of them. The Submarine’s first meeting with an Italian side was in the third round of the Intertoto Cup in 2002 against Torino FC. After losing the first leg 2-0, the Yellows won by the same scoreline at home and emerged victorious in a penalty shoot-out.
The following year, in the same competition, Villarreal also met Brescia Calcio in the third round, beating them 2-0 at home and drawing 1-1 away. In the 2003/04 UEFA Cup, Villarreal eliminated AS Roma after winning 2-0 at the old El Madrigal and losing 2-1 at the Olimpico in Rome.
The historic Villarreal CF tie against FC Internazionale Milano in the Champions League in 2005/06 will live long in the memory of all ‘groguets’. On that occasion, the Submarine lost 2-1 at the Giuseppe Meazza, but they managed to reach the semi-finals with a 1-0 home win thanks to a memorable goal from Arrubuarrena.
Much closer are the play-offs against SCC Napoli in the UEFA Europa League. The Yellows have knocked out the Neapolitans in the UEFA Europa League in the 2010/11 campaign with a 0-0 draw at San Paolo and a 2-1 win at the ‘groguet’ ground and also in 2015/16 after a 1-0 home and 1-1 away draw.
The most recent meeting is the only time Villarreal have been eliminated by Italian opposition. It came in the 2016/17 campaign when the Submarine were knocked out by AS Roma after losing 0-4 at the Estadio de la Cerámica and winning the return leg 1-0 at the Roman side’s ‘coliseum’.
