2026-2027 Champions League: Villarreal vs. Napoli, Probable Lineups

Villarreal and Napoli will face off Tuesday evening at 9 p.m. at the Estadio de la Cerámica. It promises to be a closely contested match with high tactical intensity, as both teams are desperate to move up in the standings after suffering a loss in their European debut.

The home team is riding a wave of confidence: before the international break, they secured two consecutive wins, and in their last match, they fell to Real Madrid despite a solid performance. The rough patch from the start of the season—when the “Yellow Submarine” lost four games in a row—now seems to be behind them.

Iñigo Pérez faces a tough decision up front: Gerard Moreno is the favorite over Ayoze Pérez, but the 1993-born forward is still hoping for a starting spot. The other forward will almost certainly be Mikautadze. In midfield, Ilias, Pape Gueye, Saliba, and Moleiro will start, while the backline will consist of Mourino, Foyth, Renato Veiga, and Carlos Romero. The experienced Gulacsi will be in goal.

Massimiliano Allegri is expected to start Scott McTominay from the 1st minute; Gilmour will play alongside him, while Politano and Di Lorenzo will man the flanks. Up front, Hojlund will be supported by De Bruyne and Giovane. In front of goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic—who appears to have definitively edged out Meret for this match—will be Rafa Marin, Rrahmani, and Badiashile.

Probable Lineups
VILLARREAL (4-4-2): Gulacsi; Mourino, Foyth, Renato Veiga, Carlos Romero; Ilias, Pape Gueye, Saliba, Moleiro; Gerard, Mikautadze. Head Coach: Inigo Perez
NAPOLI (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Rafa Marin, Rrahmani, Badiashile; Politano, Gilmour, McTominay, Di Lorenzo; Giovane, De Bruyne; Hojlund. Coach: Allegri