Recap
Anderlecht advanced to penalties to the last 16. They faced Ludogorets, where they were defeated 1:0 away in the first match, where the Bulgarians also missed a penalty kick. In the second match, Anderlecht was better, winning by 2:1 and after the penalty shootout qualified to the last 16. This is their first appearance in the quarter-finals of a European competition since 2017, and only absence are Delcroix (13/0), Trebel (11/0) and Kana (6/0). Villarreal made a „walk in the park“ in the group stage, despite playing with many substitutes. It’s worth noting that all the victories were with Emery on the bench, while his replacement, Quique Setienn, didn’t win against Hapoel Be’er Sheva (2:2) and Lech Poznań (3:0). In general, expectations are high and there is pressure on Setien, as Villarreal won the Europa League last year. In the championship, they are in the European zone (6th place) and come from two consecutive victories. Due to injuries Capoue (19/0) and Coquelin (16/1) are out of the squad. Anderlecht has lost its glory in recent years. They are inconsistent with only 1 victory in the last 5 matches, which is a chance for the Spaniards to use their experience and take the win.