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UEFA Europa League action returns on Thursday night as Villarreal make their second-ever trip to Ukraine to face Dynamo Kyiv at the Stadion NSK Olimpiyskiy.
This round of 16 fixture is a record-equalling fifth appearance for both clubs in the competition, with the semifinals being the furthest either side has gone.
Dynamo Kyiv needed a late away goal to get past Club Brugge in the previous knockout round. They have racked up three wins since then to stand atop the Ukrainian Premier League and move on to the semifinals of the Ukrainian Cup.
Mircea Lucescu's men made short work of 10-man FC Minaj over the weekend, racking up a comfortable 3-0 win. The result took them four points clear of rivals and Lucescu's former side, Shakhtar Donetsk.
Villarreal on the other hand, have found the going tough after getting past RB Salzburg in the round of 32. The Yellow Submarine were unlucky to lose 0-2 to Atletico Madrid at home after dominating much of the game.
Unai Emery's men struggled this past weekend as Valencia scored two late goals to hand Villarreal a 2-1 defeat at the Mestalla.
Dynamo Kyiv vs Villarreal Head-to-Head
The two teams have only met once before - in the 2004-05 season of the UEFA Cup, with Villarreal triumphing 2-0 at home, before Kyiv managed a goalless draw in Ukraine.
Dynamo have won only once in 14 trips to Spain, a memorable 4-0 win over Barcelona in the group stages of the 1997-98 UEFA Champions League. On that occasion, Andriy Shevchenko grabbed a hat-trick. Villarreal, meanwhile, have never played against any other Ukrainian opposition.
Dynamo Kyiv form in the Ukrainian Premier League: W-W-D-W-D
Villarreal form in La Liga: L-L-D-L-D
Dynamo Kyiv vs Villarreal Team News
Dynamo Kyiv
Mircea Lucescu lost defender Denys Popov and winger Viktor Tsyganov to injury in the last few weeks, joining five of their teammates on the sidelines. Popov and fellow centre-back Mykyta Burda's absence should mean Ilya Zabarnyi and Oleksandr Syrota continue their pairing.
Gerson Rodrigues was partially rested against Minaj and should make his return to the lineup, with Lucescu likely to stick with much of the side that beat Brugge.
Injured: Denys Popov, Viktor Tsyganov, Benjamin Verbic, Denys Harmash, Tudor Baluta, Volodymyr Kostevych, Mykyta Burda,
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Villarreal
Unai Emery welcomed Alberto Moreno back to training, but he's unlikely to feature in this game or unseat Pervis Estupiñán in the left-back role. Francis Coquelin and Vicente Iborra remain on the sidelines. Dani Parejo and Etienne Capoue are likely to continue their midfield partnership.
Ruben Pena and Yeremy are doubts for this game but were unlikely to make the starting 11 anyway.
Injured: Francis Coquelin, Vicente Iborra
Doubtful: Ruben Pena, Yeremy, Alberto Moreno
Suspended: None
Dynamo Kyiv vs Villarreal Predicted XI
Dynamo Kyiv Predicted XI (4-3-3) : George Buschan (GK); Tomasz Kedziora, Oleksandr Syrota, Ilya Zabarnyi, Vitaliy Mykolenko; Mykola Shaparenko, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Vladimir Shepelev; Gerson Rodrigues, Artem Biesiedin, Vitaly Buyakskyi
Villarreal Predicted XI (4-3-3) : Sergio Asenjo (GK) ; Juan Foyth, Raul Albiol, Pau Torres, Pervis Estupiñán; Manu Trigueros, Etienne Capoue, Daniel Parejo; Samuel Chukwueze, Paco Alcacer, Gerard Moreno
Dynamo Kyiv vs Villarreal Prediction
Villarreal are on a terrible run of form, having crashed out of the Copa del Rey and without a win in their last nine La Liga games. Two wins over Salzburg were nonetheless impressive. Unai Emery will be hoping his side can grab something from a tough trip to Ukraine.
Dynamo, in contrast, are in great form. With Gerson Rodrigues and Vitaly Buyakskyi among the goals, they could very well trouble the Yellow Submarine.
We expect a nail-biting contest full of goals as both sides share the spoils.
Prediction: Dynamo Kyiv 2-2 Villarreal
