UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 2021/22 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Estadio de la Cerámica - Villarreal Tuesday 14 September 2021 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Villarreal CF Group F - Matchday 1 Atalanta BC Last updated 21/09/2021 20:18CET UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OFFICIAL SPONSORS Previous meetings 2 Match background 4 Squad list 7 Match officials 10 Fixtures and results 12 Match-by-match lineups 16 Competition facts 17 Team facts 19 Legend 21 1 Villarreal CF - Atalanta BC Tuesday 14 September 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal Previous meetings Head to Head No UEFA competition matches have been played between these two teams Villarreal CF - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 0-1 23/02/2017 R32 AS Roma - Villarreal CF Rome Borré 15 agg: 4-1 Emerson 32, Džeko 16/02/2017 R32 Villarreal CF - AS Roma 0-4 Villarreal 65, 79, 86 UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 25/02/2016 R32 SSC Napoli - Villarreal CF Naples Hamšík 17; Pina 59 agg: 1-2 18/02/2016 R32 Villarreal CF - SSC Napoli 1-0 Villarreal Denis Suárez 82 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 07/12/2011 GS Villarreal CF - SSC Napoli 0-2 Villarreal Inler 65, Hamšík 76 Hamšík 15, Cavani 17 27/09/2011 GS SSC Napoli - Villarreal CF 2-0 Naples (P) UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 2-1 Nilmar 42, Rossi 24/02/2011 R32 Villarreal CF - SSC Napoli Villarreal agg: 2-1 45+1; Hamšík 18 17/02/2011 R32 SSC Napoli - Villarreal CF 0-0 Naples UEFA Europa League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Pirès 2, 15 (P), Cani 05/11/2009 GS Villarreal CF - SS Lazio 4-1 Villarreal 13, Rossi 83 (P); Zárate 72 Zárate 20, Rocchi 22/10/2009 GS SS Lazio - Villarreal CF 2-1 Rome 90+2; Eguren 40 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 25/10/2007 GS Villarreal CF - ACF Fiorentina 1-1 Villarreal Capdevila 88; Vieri 48 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Villarreal CF - FC Internazionale 1-0 04/04/2006 QF Villarreal Arruabarrena 58 Milano agg: 2-2 ag FC Internazionale Milano - Adriano 7, Martins 54; 29/03/2006 QF 2-1 Milan Villarreal CF Forlán 1 2 Villarreal CF - Atalanta BC Tuesday 14 September 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Rocchi 85; José Mari 21/10/2004 GS SS Lazio - Villarreal CF 1-1 Rome 4 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 2-1 Emerson 10, Cassano 25/03/2004 R4 AS Roma - Villarreal CF Rome agg: 2-3 50; Anderson 66 Anderson 29, José 11/03/2004 R4 Villarreal CF - AS Roma 2-0 Villarreal Mari 35 UEFA Intertoto Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 Petruzzi 88; Guayre 26/07/2003 R3 Brescia Calcio - Villarreal CF Brescia agg: 1-3 52 19/07/2003 R3 Villarreal CF - Brescia Calcio 2-0 Villarreal Calleja 15, Víctor 81 UEFA Intertoto Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 2-0 Guayre 46, 27/07/2002 R3 Villarreal CF - Torino FC agg: 2-2 (aet, 4- Villarreal Arruabarrena 61 3 pens) Comotto 44, Ferrante 21/07/2002 R3 Torino FC - Villarreal CF 2-0 Turin 48 Atalanta BC - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Benzema 34, Ramos 3-1 16/03/2021 R16 Real Madrid CF - Atalanta BC Madrid 60 (P), Asensio 84; agg: 4-1 Muriel 83 24/02/2021 R16 Atalanta BC - Real Madrid CF 0-1 Bergamo Mendy 86 UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Gameiro 21, 51, 3-4 Ferran Torres 67; 10/03/2020 R16 Valencia CF - Atalanta BC Valencia agg: 4-8 Iličić 3 (P), 43 (P), 71, 82 Hateboer 16, 62, Iličić 19/02/2020 R16 Atalanta BC - Valencia CF 4-1 Milan 42, Freuler 57; Cheryshev 66 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Villarreal CF 10 7 1 2 10 1 4 5 0 0 0 0 20 8 5 7 22 22 Atalanta BC 2 1 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 2 9 8 3 Villarreal CF - Atalanta BC Tuesday 14 September 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal Match background UEFA Europa League holders Villarreal kick off their first UEFA Champions League campaign in ten years with a first fixture against Atalanta, who are making their third appearance in a row. • Villarreal earned this fourth UEFA Champions League campaign by claiming their first ever silverware in last season's UEFA Europa League, overcoming Manchester United – who are also in Group F, alongside Young Boys – on penalties in the final. • Atalanta, meanwhile, are in the group stage for the third time and will be looking to replicate the success of their first two campaigns by going on to the knockout rounds. Form guide Villarreal • Seventh in the Spanish Liga in 2020/21, Villarreal's UEFA Europa League triumph means they are playing in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the fourth time, and the first since 2011/12. • That most recent campaign was also their least successful, Villarreal losing all six games to finish bottom of a section that also included Bayern München, Napoli and Manchester City. • The Yellow Submarine have twice reached the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. Semi-finalists on debut in 2005/06, they made it to the quarter-finals three years later – both campaigns ended by Arsenal. • Having lost none of their first 11 UEFA Champions League group games (W4 D7), Villarreal have been beaten in each of the last seven. • This is Villarreal's second European game of the season; they were defeated 6-5 on penalties by UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup on 11 August in Belfast. • Unai Emery's team claimed their first major silverware in the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League final, beating Manchester United 11-10 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Gdańsk Stadium. Gerard Moreno's first-half goal was cancelled out after the break but Villarreal converted all 11 of their kicks in the shoot-out, goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli scoring their last before saving from opposite number David de Gea to secure victory. • Villarreal cruised to first place in Group I ahead of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sivasspor and Qarabağ to reach the round of 32 for the eighth time before comfortably disposing of UEFA Champions League group stage participants Salzburg (2- 0 a, 2-1 h) and Dynamo Kyiv (2-0 a, 2-0 h). They also won both quarter-final matches against Dinamo Zagreb (1-0 a, 2-1 h) and then knocked out Emery's former employers Arsenal in the semi-final (2-1 h, 0-0 a). Villarreal were undefeated in Europe in 2020/21 with 11 wins and three draws. • That means Villarreal are now undefeated by non-Spanish opposition in 25 European matches (W16 D9), with their defeat by Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup counted as a draw. • The defeat of United came in Villarreal's first major European final, though they were twice winners of the UEFA Intertoto Cup (2003, 2004) having finished as runners-up in 2002. • This is Villarreal's first game against an Italian side since the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League round of 32, when they were eliminated by Roma (0-4 h, 1-0 a). That first-leg defeat – their heaviest at home in Europe – made their record against Serie A visitors W7 D1 L2, although they have lost two of the last three matches. Atalanta • Having never featured in the UEFA Champions League before 2019/20, Atalanta are making their third successive appearance in the group stage. Quarter-finalists on debut two seasons ago, they again reached the knockout rounds in 2020/21, losing to Real Madrid in the last 16. • The Italian club were second behind Liverpool in Group D last season, sealing progress with a 1-0 win at Ajax on Matchday 6. That gave them 11 points, two behind Liverpool who had won 5-0 in Bergamo on Matchday 2 – Atalanta's heaviest European defeat – before Gian Piero Gasperini's side turned the tables with a famous 2-0 victory at Anfield. • The club from Bergamo were subsequently beaten 1-0 at home and 3-1 away by Real Madrid in the round of 16. • Atalanta were third in Serie A for the second season in a row in 2020/21 and also reached the Coppa Italia final, losing 2-1 to Juventus. • Both Atalanta's previous meetings with Spanish opponents have come in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, against Valencia in 2019/20 (4-1 h, 4-3 a) and Real Madrid last season. Links and trivia • Has played in Italy: 4 Villarreal CF - Atalanta BC Tuesday 14 September 2021 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal Raúl Albiol (Napoli 2013–19) • Albiol won seven of his ten games against Atalanta with Napoli. • Have played in Spain: Mario Pašalić (Elche 2014/15 loan) Luis Muriel (Granada 2010/11 loan, Sevilla 2017–19) • International team-mates: Juan Foyth & Juan Musso (Argentina) • Gerard Moreno scored a penalty for Spain in the UEFA EURO 2020 semi-final shoot-out against Italy on 6 July.