Villarreal vs Monaco for UEFA Champions League 2016: Who Will Win Game 2? Preview, Game Schedule, TV Info and Live Streaming
With a defeat from Monaco in its first UEFA Champions League playoff game since 2011, Villarreal is coming into Game 2 with a chip on its shoulder.
Monaco managed to pull through Game 1 on August 17 with a 1-2 win, despite an underwhelming performance. The win, however, exposed a lot of holes in Villarreal's system, and promises a tough bout come Tuesday.
Spanish struggles
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The Yellow Submarine completed an uphill climb en route to the top of the Spanish La Liga over the past years, after missing the UEFA Champions League for four years. The struggle, however, would continue as they face a competitive Monaco team.
Villarreal had never met Monaco in the field before Game 1. In fact, they encountered French sides only five times in their playoff history—gaining two wins, two draws and a loss, with one which each away and at home.
Meanwhile, Monaco had faced Spanish sides 19 times in the playoffs. They are at seven wins, four draws and eight losses against these teams. Five of those wins were gained at home; in Spanish territory, they only managed two wins and suffered seven losses in return.
Monaco also has a respected coach in Leonardo Jardim, who took the team to consecutive third-place finishes in the French league. In contrast, Villarreal's Fran Escriba only joined the team on August 10, merely a week before their matchup against Monaco. This comes after the departure of long-time coach Marcelino Garcia Toral.
Holes in the Submarine
Nevertheless, Villarreal looks onward to a playoff bout, but with plenty of missing pieces. Six players are out of action, including team star Cedric Bakambu.
The losses proved to be nightmare for the Spanish team, as Escriba made an experimental misstep by putting Alfred N'Diaye on defense.
Monaco gained the lead in the first half with a penalty kick, exposing a struggling Villarreal. Leave it to Alexandre Pato, who has scored in all his debuts for his five former teams, to score the equalizer for the Spanish.
Pato, earlier assumed to be not that fit for the game, almost scored another goal to give a more dominant Villarreal the lead, but fell short off a wide shot.
Monaco, meanwhile, had their own breakthrough star in Bernardo Silva, also predicted to be a benchwarmer. Silva gave the team its second score, and Villarreal would not find reprieve until the endgame.
Villarreal would now have to face Monaco at their home field at Stade Louis II, still hoping for a comeback with the anticipated return of defender Victor Ruiz, who was suspended prior to their first meeting.
Fans can tune in to Game 2 on Wednesday, August 24, at 2:45 p.m. ET on Fox Sports (US - English) and ESPN Desportes+ (US - Spanish). Online streaming is also available on Fox Sports Go. Pre-show starts at 2:00 p.m. ET.
