Astana v Villarreal background
The tip dual teams in UEFA Europa League Group A accommodate during a Astana Arena in a believe that one of them, or even both, could be celebrating gift for a knockout proviso during a final whistle.
• Villarreal will really book their place with a diversion to gangling if they win, given a pull will be sufficient should Slavia Praha not win a other organisation tie divided to Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Astana would also go by if they win and Slavia do not; a Slavia better total with an Astana win would capacitate both Astana and Villarreal to bind their places in a turn of 32.
Previous meetings
• Villarreal non-stop their sixth UEFA Europa League organisation debate with a 3-1 win during home to Astana, dual late goals from Cédric Bakambu and Dmitri Cheryshev giving a Spanish bar a points after Astana defender Yuri Logvinenko had equalised Nicola Sansone’s first-half strike.
• The teams had formerly met in a 2014/15 UEFA Europa League play-offs, Marcelino’s Villarreal winning 3-0 opposite Stanimir Stoilov’s organisation in Astana and 4-0 in Spain. That home better is a heaviest in Astana’s European history.
• Astana also faced Atlético Madrid in a 2015/16 UEFA Champions League organisation stage, losing 4-0 in a Spanish collateral and sketch 0-0 in Kazakhstan. They are therefore nonetheless to win in 5 matches opposite Liga sides, scoring only one goal.
Form guide
• Astana are dominant in 17 European home games (W9 D8) given that record 3-0 detriment to Villarreal in a 2014/15 UEFA Europa League play-offs.
• Villarreal are undefeated in 6 European divided matches (W2 D4) and have kept purify sheets in any of a final three. Their 2-0 win during Slavia on matchday 4 finished a run of 5 unbroken divided draws in a UEFA Europa League organisation stage.
• Beaten 8-4 on total by Celtic in a UEFA Champions League play-offs, Astana are personification organisation theatre football for a third unbroken season: UEFA Champions League in 2015/16, UEFA Europa League in 2016/17 and 2017/18.
• Astana finished bottom of their section, with 5 points, in final season’s UEFA Europa League, so they have already softened on that opening this term.
• Semi-finalists in 2015/16, Villarreal are featuring in a fourth uninterrupted UEFA Europa League organisation stage, carrying progressed to a turn of 32 in any of a final three.
• Villarreal have progressed in all 7 of their prior UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League organisation theatre campaigns and share with Anderlecht a record of removing by their UEFA Europa League organisation on 5 occasions.
• The Spanish side reason a UEFA Europa League organisation theatre to final annals for many games played (58) and many wins (32). They also became a initial bar to strech a century of goals with their 2-0 win during Slavia final time out.
Links and trivia
• The tour from Villarreal to Astana is around 5,500km.
• Astana clinched their fourth unbroken Kazakh Premier League pretension on 5 November, finishing one indicate forward of long-lived rivals Kairat Almaty.
• Astana’s Marin Tomasov assimilated 1860 München in 2012, only as Villarreal’s Antonio Rukavina was withdrawal a bar for Real Valladolid.
• Suspended for subsequent compare if booked: Serikzhan Muzhikov (Astana); Jaume Costa (Villarreal).
The coaches
• Hired in Jun 2014, Stanimir Stoilov led Astana to their fourth unbroken Kazakh pretension progressing this month. The former Bulgaria actor and manager enjoyed his many cultivatable years as a actor during Levski Sofia, whom he after guided to dual championships – and a 2005/06 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.
• Javier Calleja took over as Villarreal’s new manager after Fran Escribá’s exclusion on 25 September. He represented a bar as a actor from 1999 to 2006, and returned as a girl manager after unresolved adult his boots. He was coaching a B group when he was called on to reinstate Escribá.