Weary & Wounded: Villarreal Visits Naples

Three league matches later, Villarreal returns its attention to the Champions League. Mixed results and mixed play, but we are generally on the upswing. That's a good sign.

The big worry is the injury plague that has descended upon Vila-real. As Allen noted, we are missing a likely starter at each field position in defender Ángel López (still recovering), striker Marco Ruben (out three weeks with a broken toe), and midfielder Borja Valero (second and final match of his suspension). And Italian international Giuseppe Rossi is highly questionable, so I expect him only as a late-game substitute if we are trailing.

Then there's the whole matter of playing Napoli in a must-result situation. 0 points after 2 matches would be practically a death-knell in this group, as at least two teams would be two matches ahead. Losing to Bayern Munich at home was no shame, but we cannot afford to repeat the trick at the Stadio San Paolo.

My expected formation is a 4-2-3-1:

The match starts at 2:45 pm Eastern Time and will be on local Fox Sports Net stations in the United States. I will watch on DVR tonight and dive into Allen's recap.

Time to keep the Odense dream alive, boys. Endavant Villarreal!