Previews
WED 17.08.2016
Villarreal CF are braced for a stiff test in their bid to qualify for the group stage of Europe's premier club competition. The LaLiga outfit host Ligue 1 big boys Monaco in the first leg of the Champions League playoff round, with the winners of the tie set to book their spot in the tournament proper.
Just days after taking up the hotseat, Fran Escriba will oversee his first competitive game in charge of the Yellow Submarine against Monaco at El Madrigal. He sounded an upbeat note in his pre-match press conference: "It's true that we're without a few players, but that hasn't dampened our hopes. This is a great squad. We have our strengths and we're going to try to make the most of them."
#CVFEnglish | Bruno Soriano: “Together we’ll have a great game”. #ChampionsLeague
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) August 16, 2016
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Escriba will be unable to call on Roberto Soldado, who sustained a serious injury last week, or any of Cedric Bakambu, Denis Cheryshev, Victor Ruiz and Jonathan dos Santos, although he will be boosted by striker Radamel Falcao's unavailability for the visitors from the French Riviera.
Villarreal will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Valencia CF, who overcame Monaco in last season's playoffs. If they do so, the Castellon side will join four other LaLiga Santander teams in the group stage: holders Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla FC. This would mean LaLiga having five teams in Europe's top club tournament for the second year running, something that has never been done before.
© LALIGA - 2016