UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - 2015/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Estadio El Madrigal - Villarreal Thursday 18 February 2016 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Villarreal CF Round of 32, First leg SSC Napoli Last updated 18/02/2016 18:50CET Previous meetings 2 Match background 4 Team facts 5 Squad list 7 Fixtures and results 11 Match-by-match lineups 15 Match officials 17 Legend 19 1 Villarreal CF - SSC Napoli Thursday 18 February 2016 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio El Madrigal, Villarreal Previous meetings Head to Head 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 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Villarreal CF 2 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 1 2 2 5 SSC Napoli 2 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 2 1 1 5 2 Villarreal CF - Record versus clubs from opponents' country 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 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 2 Villarreal CF - SSC Napoli Thursday 18 February 2016 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio El Madrigal, Villarreal UEFA Cup 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 3pens) Comotto 44, Ferrante 21/07/2002 R3 Torino FC - Villarreal CF 2-0 Turin 48 SSC Napoli - Record versus clubs from opponents' country UEFA Champions League Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers Aritz Aduriz 61, 69, 3-1 27/08/2014 PO Athletic Club - SSC Napoli Bilbao Ibai Gómez 74; agg: 4-2 Hamšík 47 Higuaín 68; Muniain 19/08/2014 PO SSC Napoli - Athletic Club 1-1 Naples 41 UEFA Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-0 30/09/1992 R1 SSC Napoli - Valencia CF Naples Fonseca 8 agg: 6-1 Roberto 56; Fonseca 16/09/1992 R1 Valencia CF - SSC Napoli 1-5 Valencia 20, 60, 64, 87, 90 European Champions Clubs' Cup Date Stage Match Result Venue Goalscorers 1-1 Francini 9; 30/09/1987 R1 SSC Napoli - Real Madrid CF Naples agg: 1-3 Butragueño 43 Míchel 19 (P), 16/09/1987 R1 Real Madrid CF - SSC Napoli 2-0 Madrid Tendillo 76 Home Away Final Total Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA Villarreal CF 8 6 1 1 8 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 16 6 4 6 19 17 SSC Napoli 5 2 3 0 5 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 10 4 3 3 14 10 3 Villarreal CF - SSC Napoli Thursday 18 February 2016 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio El Madrigal, Villarreal Match background Villarreal CF are looking to eliminate SSC Napoli from the UEFA Europa League round of 32 for a second time. Previous meetings • The sides have met on four occasions in UEFA competition, Napoli winning two games to Villarreal's one. • Juan Carlos Garrido's Villarreal defeated Walter Mazzarri's Napoli in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League round of 32, drawing 0-0 in Naples then coming from behind to win 2-1 at home. • With the same coaches in charge, Napoli got their revenge in the following season's UEFA Champions League group stage, beating the Yellow Submarine 2-0 home and away. • Napoli's Marek Hamšík may be one to watch – he has scored in three of the clubs' four encounters. • Napoli are the only Serie A side who have beaten Villarreal at El Madrigal. Villarreal's overall record in 16 meetings with Italian opposition is W6 D4 L6 (W6 D1 L1 at home – W0 D3 L5 in Italy). • Napoli's ten games against Spanish clubs have ended W4 D3 L3 (W2 D3 L0 at home – W2 D0 L3 in Spain). Those results include a 5-1 win at Valencia CF in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round – one of their two biggest European away victories. Form guide • Villarreal are unbeaten in five European fixtures (W4 D1) and have won all three of their UEFA Europa League home matches this term. • Napoli became only the sixth club in the history of the UEFA Europa League to make it through the group stage with maximum points, after FC Salzburg (2009/10 & 2013/14), FC Zenit (2010/11), RSC Anderlecht (2011/12), Tottenham Hotspur FC (2013/14) and FC Dinamo Moskva (2014/15). • Napoli were also this season's group stage top scorers with 22 goals – an average of 3.67 per game. The Partenopei also conceded the fewest goals – three – along with FC Schalke 04 and eliminated PAOK FC. • Villarreal defeated Salzburg in the 2014/15 round of 32 before bowing out to holders Sevilla FC in the last 16. Their best campaigns in the competition ended in the semi-finals, where they were twice eliminated by eventual winners – Valencia in 2003/04 and FC Porto in 2010/11. • Napoli reached the semi-finals last term, losing to eventual runners-up FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. They won the competition in 1988/89, beating VfB Stuttgart 5-4 on aggregate. Trivia and links • The journey from Naples to Villarreal is around 1,200km. • The second leg of this tie will be Napoli's 100th UEFA Cup and UEFA Europa League game. • Napoli's Pepe Reina played at Villarreal from 2002 to 2005 after leaving FC Barcelona. He is ninth in the all-time UEFA club competition appearance rankings with 145 outings to his name. The only goalkeeper to have played more games than him is fellow Spaniard Iker Casillas (163). • Villarreal centre-back Víctor Ruíz spent the second half of the 2010/11 season with Napoli. He played alongside Napoli's José Callejón at RCD Espanyol (2009–11). • Aside from Reina and Callejón, Napoli have two other Spanish players: David López and Raúl Albiol, while Henrique (FC Barcelona 2008–12, Real Racing Club 2009–11) and Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid CF 2007–13) also have extensive Spanish Liga experience. • Villarreal boast Italian talent in the form of defender Daniele Bonera (Brescia Calcio 1999–2002, Parma FC 2002–06, AC Milan 2006–15). He and Napoli's Gabriel were team-mates at Milan. • Villarreal forward Roberto Soldado played alongside Napoli defender Vlad Chiricheş at Tottenham Hotspur FC (2013–15). The coaches • Marcelino's career as a midfielder was ended early by injury. As a coach, he worked his way up the Spanish leagues, taking over at Villarreal in 2013 following spells at Real Zaragoza, Racing and Sevilla. • Naples-born Maurizio Sarri replaced Rafael Benítez when the Spaniard left Napoli for Real Madrid at the end of last season. Having spent much of his career in the lower leagues, he led Empoli FC into Serie A in 2013/14 and kept them up comfortably last term. 4 Villarreal CF - SSC Napoli Thursday 18 February 2016 - 19.00CET (19.00 local time) Match press kit Estadio El Madrigal, Villarreal Team facts Villarreal CF Formed: 1923 Nickname: El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Intertoto Cup (2): 2003, 2004 Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets) None Ten-year European record (UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup unless indicated otherwise) 2014/15: round of 16 2013/14: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2012/13: did not take part in UEFA club competition 2011/12: UEFA Champions League group stage 2010/11: semi-finals 2009/10: round of 32 2008/09: UEFA Champions League quarter-finals 2007/08: round of 32 2006/07: UEFA Intertoto Cup third round 2005/06: UEFA Champions League semi-finals Records UEFA club competition • Biggest home win 6-1: Villarreal v NAC Breda 27/08/09, UEFA Europa League play-off second leg 5-0: Villarreal v FC Dnepr Mogilev 19/08/10, UEFA Europa League play-off first leg • Biggest away win 0-3 three times, most recently v FC Astana 21/08/14, UEFA Europa League play-off first leg • Heaviest home defeat 0-3: Villarreal v Manchester City FC 02/11/11, UEFA Champions League group stage • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: FC Porto v Villarreal 28/04/11, UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup • Biggest home win 6-1: Villarreal v NAC Breda (see above) 5-0: Villarreal v FC Dnepr Mogilev (see above) • Biggest away win 0-3: FC Astana v Villarreal (see above) • Heaviest home defeat 1-3: Villarreal v Sevilla FC 12/03/15, round of 16 first leg • Heaviest away defeat 5-1: FC Porto v Villarreal (see above) SSC Napoli Formed: 1926 Nickname: Partenopei (a reference to Parthenope, one of the Sirens of Greek mythology) UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets) • UEFA Cup (1): 1989 Domestic honours