Villarreal will seek a victory against Atalanta next Tuesday in their debut in this edition of the Champions League, in the return of the Spanish team to the maximum continental competition a decade later, a circumstance that has resisted them in their previous three participations.
The team led by Unai Emery disputes this tournament for the fourth time in its history, previously they participated in the 2005-2006, 2008-2009 and 2011-2012 editions, and never made their debut in the group stage with a win.
In the first edition, in which curiously he reached the semifinals, he started with a goalless draw against Manchester United at home and did not add his first win until the fourth day, when he beat Benfica (0-1) at home, although it is also true that he did not lose in the entire first phase.
In the same way, he started his second participation in the 2008-2009 season with a goalless draw against Manchester United, although then the game was played at Old Trafford.
In his last presence the result was a defeat against Bayern Munich at La Cerámica by 0-2 with goals from Kross and Rafinha. A result that led to a six-game losing streak and led the team to its worst appearance since they finished the group stage in last place with zero points.