Tottenham vs Villarreal | Football Previews & Free Betting Tips | 16th September 2025

European football’s back at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Tottenham welcome Villarreal on 16 September 2025. Spurs have flown out of the blocks in the league (10 points from 12, just one conceded), while Villarreal arrive perfect in LaLiga so far (three wins, nine scored, none conceded). It’s a tasty early marker for the group — two sides in form and both fancying themselves to go deep.

Expect a loud crowd — Spurs’ first big European home night of the season usually brings the flags, the drum and a fast start. Villarreal will travel well; the away end tends to make themselves heard with that yellow wall.

Tactically, Spurs have leaned on a 4-3-3/3-2-5 in possession: full-backs high (Porro/Udogie), two dynamic 8s stepping on, and a mobile front three. Villarreal are very comfy in a 4-2-3-1 that becomes 2-3-5 with Parejo dropping to knit play and the wide men attacking the half-spaces; they’ll try to control tempo then spring Ayoze Pérez/Manor Solomon inside to combine with the striker.

• Spurs’ wide overloads: around 56% possession and 85% pass completion, with Porro pushing high to create 2v1s. Their shot output (~14.0 per game) is fed by cut-backs rather than long-range punts.
• Villarreal’s clean control: sitting near 52% possession, they’ve yet to concede this season and post ~1.8 xG on average. Width from Solomon/Akhomach, with Parejo dictating which side to tilt toward.
• Second-half swing: Spurs score 62% after the break; Villarreal 56%. If it’s level at the interval, the last 30 tends to open up — especially if Spurs’ press forces restarts high up.

Tottenham: Doubts/outs — Dominic Solanke (ankle), Yves Bissouma (knock), James Maddison (ACL, long-term), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Kota Takai (foot). Radu Drăgușin is back in full training. Expect Cristian Romero to marshal the line, Pedro Porro to drive the right lane, and Mathys Tel> to run beyond. New faces like Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons offer 1v1 threat between the lines.

Villarreal: Doubts/outs — Logan Costa (ACL), Pau Cabanes (ACL), Gerard Moreno (hamstring, close), Willy Kambwala (hamstring). Ilias Akhomach is back. Dani Parejo and Thomas Partey should handle the middle, Juan Foyth offers balance at the back, and Ayoze Pérez/Manor Solomon provide the dribble-and-combine threat wide.

Tottenham (last 10 competitive): 6–1–3. That’s 8 scored, 1 conceded this season; across the ten they’re averaging about 1.7 for and 1.6 against, but the defensive numbers have improved sharply since August. Three clean sheets in four to start 25/26 hints at better control without the ball.

Villarreal (last 10 competitive): 7–2–1. Nine scored and none conceded so far this term; across ten they’re at roughly 2.3 for and 1.4 against. They’re ruthless when ahead and have multiple goal sources — the 4–4 with Madrid last season shows they’ll gamble if needed.

Tottenham: 1.75
Villarreal: 3.00

Tottenham: 0.25
Villarreal: 0.00

Tottenham: 75%
Villarreal: 100%

Tottenham: 56%
Villarreal: 52%

Tottenham: 5.3
Villarreal: 4.7

Tottenham: 1.25
Villarreal: 1.80

Tottenham: 1.58
Villarreal: 1.20

Tottenham: 0.3
Villarreal: 0.4

Tottenham: 0.2
Villarreal: 0.3

Tottenham: 85%
Villarreal: 82%

Tottenham: 14.0 (5.3 on target)
Villarreal: 13.3 (5.0 on target)

Tottenham: 2.5
Villarreal: 2.3

Tottenham: 19.5
Villarreal: 20.0

Tottenham: 38% first half / 62% second half
Villarreal: 44% first half / 56% second half

Tottenham: 50% under / 50% over
Villarreal: 33% under / 67% over

Tottenham: 2.50
Villarreal: 3.00

Tottenham at home (last 10): They’ve turned the stadium into a runway — quick starts, heavy wide pressure and more set-piece bite than last spring. Clean sheets have ticked up and they finish strong after 60’.

Villarreal away (last 10): Bold with the ball and rarely shy of a goal. When they lead, they keep passing; when they chase, they flood the box with late runners. The Achilles heel can be space behind advancing full-backs.

Spurs are creating around 1.25 xG per match early doors, while Villarreal are closer to 1.8. Defensively it’s ~1.6 xGA for Spurs versus ~1.2 xGA for the visitors — a slight expected chance gap towards the Yellow Submarine if the flow suits them.

No recent competitive meetings on record. The most notable friendly was in 2010 when Villarreal won 4–1 at White Hart Lane. Otherwise, this is fresh ground in UEFA competition — form and match-ups matter more than history.

Cristian Romero (Tottenham): Sets the tone defensively and attacks set pieces. If he wins first contact against a rotated Villarreal nine, Spurs can squeeze the pitch and keep the visitors penned.

Dani Parejo (Villarreal): The pass selection that tilts games. If Spurs’ press isn’t locked, he’ll keep finding Solomon/Akhomach in the pockets and feed late box runners.

Villarreal’s start has been faultless, but Spurs at home with aggressive full-backs and set-piece threat is a tough ask. Expect periods of Yellow Submarine control, yet Tottenham’s intensity and depth out wide should deliver the bigger moments.

Prediction: Tottenham 3–1 Villarreal

Main pick: Tottenham to win — strong home form, higher press, and set-piece edge.

Value bet: Over 2.5 goals — Villarreal games trend high (67% over), Spurs create enough volume (14 shots p/m) to push this past two.