Niko Kovac has issued a warning to Borussia Dortmund about the challenge Villarreal presents, while also emphasizing their objective to secure a victory. Dortmund is back in the Champions League after a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, which ended their three-match unbeaten streak in the competition. Since then, they have drawn against Hamburg and Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, falling behind leaders Bayern Munich.
Despite their struggles in UEFA's top competition, Villarreal is performing well in LaLiga, sitting third and just three points behind Real Madrid. They arrive at this match following two consecutive wins. Kovac noted, "The fact that they are there [third in LaLiga] means that they are performing really well. They haven't achieved what
they could have in the Champions League. "
Dortmund currently holds the 14th spot in the Champions League play-off places, outperforming Villarreal who are 32nd. Villarreal has not won any of their first four matches (D1 L3). According to Opta's expected points data, Villarreal is underperforming by 19 points compared to their expected position of 13th.
The two teams have never faced each other in a competitive match before. However, Dortmund has played 42 games against Spanish teams across major European competitions, winning 14, drawing 11, and losing 17. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Dortmund has lost only one of their 18 home matches in the Champions League.
Kovac will be missing Niklas Sule and Maximilian Beier due to injuries for Tuesday's game. Ramy Bensebaini has resumed training after recovering from a back issue. Emre Can is also looking to improve after his long absence but stated he would be fully ready if selected by the coach.
Whole Lotta Yellow. @VillarrealCF pic.twitter.com/AGQC8dhbFs Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) November 24, 2025
Kovac highlighted Villarreal's technical skills and quick transitions as significant threats. He emphasized Dortmund's mission: "We want to win; that is our clear mission, our clear goal. " A strong performance is necessary for achieving this aim.
Dortmund's recent form at home in the Champions League has been impressive with only one loss since early 2022-23. This record includes an unfortunate 3-2 defeat to Barcelona last December.
The upcoming match promises to be a challenging encounter for both teams as they strive for success on Europe's grand stage.
