New Telegraph-Admin Villarreal are unlikely to give Paphos many opportunities to score as they face the Cypriot champions in their 50th Champions League match today. Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side eased to a 4-0 home victory over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend and looked very secure in defence.
Meanwhile, Paphos struggled to a 1-0 win over AEL Limassol in their latest league encounter amid accusations that David Luiz should have seen a red card for a stray elbow that was not even checked by VAR.
Luiz remains a key figure for the team as he takes freekicks and gets on the end of corners in both boxes, but his days as a Champions League level defender were neither recent nor very long.
Villarreal should have too much dynamism in attack and control in midfield for the home side, who could be one of the least potent teams ever to play in the competition.
Paphos have the fourth-worst expected goals in the league phase and the lowest figure for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, which tells you all you need to know about their approach.
They are prepared to suffer without the ball and hang on for a draw, or a chance to grab something on a counter-attack or set-piece. But the Yellow Submarines are too crafty to fall for that and in midfielders like Santi Comesana and Dani Parejo, they should exert their authority
