Villarreal vs Napoli 13 October 2026 Prediction

Villarreal and Napoli have met in both the Champions League and Europa League, with a few unexpected results along the way. They meet again after both lost their opening matches in this season’s Champions League.

Villarreal Has Started Below Expectations

After finishing third in La Liga last season, Villarreal has taken eight points from its first eight games under manager Iñigo Pérez, winning just twice. The results do not fully reflect its attacking play. Through seven games, Villarreal ranked among La Liga’s top three teams for big chances created but struggled to convert them. Ayoze Pérez has scored once despite generating 3.6 non-penalty expected goals (npxG). Villarreal then lost 1-0 to Real Madrid before this match. It played against 10 men for nearly 20 minutes but could not score past Courtois.

Villarreal opened its Champions League campaign with a 3-2 away loss to Borussia Dortmund. Napoli is another difficult opponent, with Liverpool and PSG still to come. Buchanan will miss this game through injury, though Pérez still has several attacking options in Mikautadze, Moreno, Moleiro, and Ayoze Pérez.

Napoli Has Struggled Against Strong Opponents

Napoli has won three of its first six Serie A matches. Its two defeats came against Champions League participants Como (2-1) and Inter (3-2), while it also drew 1-1 with Fiorentina. After the international break, Napoli beat Frosinone 3-0, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring twice. It has been a reasonable start, but manager Massimiliano Allegri’s team needs better results against direct rivals to compete near the top of the table.

Napoli began its Champions League campaign with a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal. It played defensively and created little: Arsenal led 4.05 to 0.22 in expected goals and 51 to eight in touches inside the opposition penalty area. The cautious approach still did not prevent a defeat. Injuries add to Napoli’s problems. Buongiorno, Vergara, Favasuli, Santos, and Zambo Anguissa are unavailable, while Olivera is also dealing with an injury. Scott McTominay has recovered, although it remains unclear whether he will start. He could give Napoli another attacking option even if he plays limited minutes.

Predicted Lineup for Villarreal vs Napoli

Villarreal (4-3-3): Gulácsi – Freeman, Navarro, Veiga, Cardona – Gueye, Foyth, Saliba – Akhomach, Mikautadze, Moleiro

Unavailable: Buchanan (injury)

Manager: Iñigo Pérez

Napoli (3-4-2-1): Meret – Marin, Rrahmani, Badiashile – Di Lorenzo, De Bruyne, Lobotka, Spinazzola – Neres, Lang – Højlund

Unavailable: Buongiorno, Vergara, Favasuli, Santos, Zambo Anguissa (injuries); Olivera (questionable)

Manager: Massimiliano Allegri

Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)

Siebert officiated 11 Champions League matches last season, averaging 4.55 yellow cards and 23.36 fouls per game. In his one match in this season’s competition, he issued seven yellow cards and called 24 fouls. His numbers suggest he is willing to issue cards when play gets rough.

Villarreal vs Napoli Prediction: Villarreal to Win at 2.30

Main pick: Napoli has won just one of its three Serie A away games, losing 3-2 to Inter and drawing 1-1 with Fiorentina. It is also winless in its last six Champions League away matches, with five defeats. Napoli has won only one of its last nine matches away to Spanish clubs. Villarreal, meanwhile, has lost just two of 13 home games against Italian teams. Napoli may defend cautiously again, but that approach did not earn it a result against Arsenal. Our pick is Villarreal to win at 2.30.

Goals pick: Three of Napoli’s last four matches have produced two goals or fewer. Villarreal scored once against Betis and failed to score against Real Madrid. Each of the last four competitive meetings between Villarreal and Napoli also ended with no more than two total goals. With a busy schedule and potential fatigue, we expect another low-scoring game. Our pick is under 2.5 goals at 2.30.