Thread: Villarreal - Bayern Munich

Matchday 1. Our return to the Champions League. The German giant comes to town. Enough said.

No Arjen Robben, but Bayern Munich will be plenty dangerous up front with Mario Gómez, Thomas Müller, and Franck Ribéry. It's a different story on the back end, and that's what Villarreal must exploit.

Villarreal is without Borja Valero (suspension), and Joan Oriol has been left out by manager Juan Carlos Garrido. So there will be at least two changes to our "typical" XI, and likely more.

Here's what I would like to see:

I think the match will be won in the central midfield. How will Carlos Marchena, Marcos Senna, and/or Bruno Soriano compete with Bastian Schweinsteiger (a natural wing player) and Brazilian Luis Gustavo? If we control the tempo and limit Bayern's counterattacks, we stand a good chance to earn a result.

Keep an eye on Napoli away to Manchester City, the other match in Group A. Should be another cracker, even if the Italians have only played one top flight match this season. A draw there would be perfect for us.

Endavant Villarreal!