Tottenham face Villarreal as Spaniards complete the Big Six set
Spurs kick off their Champions League campaign at home against a Spanish side who have struggled on English soil for two decades.
Villarreal arrive in London with the opportunity to end a long losing streak. The Yellow Submarine have not won in England for 20 years, when they made their debut with a victory at Goodison Park against Everton (1-2 in August 2009). Since then, their visits have resulted in three draws and six defeats on English soil.
The debut against Tottenham
Tuesday's clash in north London has added significance: Tottenham are the last of the big English clubs that the Spanish side have yet to face. With their visit to Spurs, Villarreal complete their series of matches against the so-called Big Six, having already played Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Villareal's record against the Big Six teams
The figures do not bode well for the yellow club: just two wins in 20 matches against the English giants, with nine draws and nine defeats. This list includes matches that marked the club's European history, such as the Champions League semi-final lost to Arsenal in 2006, the rematch in the 2021 Europa League against the Gunners, and the European Super Cup final lost to Chelsea, in which Albiol missed the decisive penalty. Manchester United were opponents in a continental final: the Europa League, won on penalties in 2021.
The Blues are the only Big Six team that has failed to claim a victory against the Spanish side, although they did manage to beat them on penalties to lift the European Super Cup final trophy. (1-1 August 2021).
For their part, Liverpool only lost once to the Spanish side prior to their subsequent three victories. In fact, that defeat did not affect the Reds too much because they came back in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals: 1-0 win in April 2016 (Europa League semi-final first leg), 3-0 defeat in May 2016 (Europa League semi-final second leg), 2-0 defeat in April 2022 (Champions League semi-final first leg), 2-3 defeat in May 2022 (Champions League semi-final second leg).
Along with Manchester United, the Gunners are the team from the Big Six that have faced the Spanish side the most times, with seven matches each. While the London side has claimed two victories, drawn three times and suffered one defeat, the Manchester team has never lost to the Lions, drawing five times - one of which was the Europa League final that ended with Villarreal lifting the trophy - and claiming two victories.
Finally, Manchester City, which is the only team in the Big Six to have maintained a perfect record against the Spanish side, claimed two victories in two matches: 2 matches, 2 wins: 2-1 defeat in October 2011 (Champions League group stage), 0-3 defeat in November 2011 (Champions League group stage).
The final test in London
The Yellow Submarine face the Spurs with a new opportunity to change their recent history on English soil. Two wins in twenty matches is a burden that Villareal want to leave behind in the British capital and write a new chapter in this new Champions League format. The challenge is massive, and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London is the perfect setting to try to break an old curse.