Borussia Dortmund vs Villarreal; can Dortmund continue their strong home record?

Borussia Dortmund host Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday, with both sides kicking off their UEFA Champions League campaigns.

Dortmund enters this fixture as the stronger side, having won their only previous meeting against Villarreal.

The German club has been performing well under Niko Kovač, winning three consecutive matches.

Dortmund’s form ahead of the Villarreal game is highly encouraging, specifically their attacking fluidity.

The comeback against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga highlighted Kovač’s ability to make effective half-time measures, with Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva combining to bring Dortmund level within five minutes.

While the 5-0 win over HBEC Hamburger proves their frontline is firing on all cylinders, the fact that they leaked two goals against Hoffenheim suggests Villarreal might find joy on the counter if Dortmund’s transition defence isn’t entirely dialled in.

Villarreal, on the other hand, are struggling to be consistent, remaining winless in their opening domestic matches under Iñigo Pérez.

Pérez’s men are showing weakness in their defensive discipline, unable to keep teams out and having not held a single clean sheet domestically this season.

Their 2-3 defeat by Deportivo de La Coruña was a frustrating collapse at home.

Despite taking the lead through Nicolas Pépé and restoring their advantage through an own goal, their backline crumbled late on, conceding twice in the final 12 minutes.

Villarreal will rely on a two-man attack consisting of Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze.

Moreno can drop deeper to link play and create chances, whilst Mikautadze provides a direct threat behind.

Their combination could give Dortmund’s makeshift defence problems, particularly if Villarreal can exploit the space during transitions.

Dortmund’s ability to flip a match within minutes, as we saw against Hoffenheim, presents a nightmare scenario for a Villarreal side that just collapsed late against Deportivo.

If Kovač’s frontline clicks into that explosive gear, Pérez’s backline, which has yet to keep a clean sheet this season, could easily shatter under the pressure at Signal Iduna Park.

Villarreal’s last trip to Signal Iduna Park in November 2025 ended in a heavy 4-0 defeat by Dortmund.

Serhou Guirassy scored a brace, with Karim Adeyemi and Daniel Svensson adding their names to the scoreline.

Villarreal are yet to win their opening Champions League fixture, whereas Dortmund have only lost two of their last 22 home Champions League matches.

However, Dortmund faces a few setbacks with multiple injuries, including Ramy Bensebaini and Nico Schlotterbeck, while captain Emre Can is also unavailable.

Dortmund’s defensive absences could provide a gateway for Villarreal to exploit, with their frontline trio and strong counterattack potentially their route into the game.

Predicted Starting 11s:

Borussia Dortmund (3-4-2-1): Gregor Kobel, Joane Gadou, Waldemar Anton, Filippo Mané, Julian Ryerson, Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha, Daniel Svensson, Konstantinos Karetsas, Maximilian Beier, Serhou Guirassy.

Villarreal (4-4-2): Luiz Júnior, Santiago Mouriño, Renato Veiga, Logan Costa, Carlos Romero, Nicolas Pépé, Pape Gueye, Santi Comesaña, Tajon Buchanan, Gerard Moreno, Georges Mikautadze.