As the final International break ends players around Europe return to their clubs to fight on a domestic and, for some, continental front.
Villarreal are looking at both their La Liga and Europa League campaigns with a smile as what would have been their season objectives have almost been completed.
Sitting in fourth place in the league and with a berth in the quarter finals in Europe the Yellow Submarine now have the chance to qualify for the Champions League via two routes.
The team sit six points above nearest rivals Sevilla and Celta Vigo in the domestic competition with eight games to play.
They face a trip to ninth placed Eibar on matchday 31 of the season in what should be a routine win, if they get over the intimidation of the home fans of La Liga’s smallest club.
Wins for all three of the fourth placed chasing clubs should be on the cards this round but Villarreal will remain in pole position.
Sevilla’s struggles away from home, where they have not won the entire season, and Celta’s issues with conceding goals also give credence to the Yellow Submarine being the fourth best team in Spain.
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Should Villarreal qualify for Europe’s premier cup competition through the league than they will view their Europa League campaign as a secondary feat. Due to their form throughout the season though, they should be looked at as one of the frontrunners for the title, and therein automatic qualification for next seasons Champions League.
Villarreal face a highly winnable two-legged tie against Sparta Prague which will take place over the next two weeks.
The Yellow Submarine’s tie seems the easiest to call at this juncture as the draw has thrown up Braga vs Shakhtar Donetsk, Liverpool vs Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla vs Athletic Bilbao.
Villarreal would not mind either Spanish side in the semi-finals as their league position would show a superiority over the two, and would take the winner of the Braga/Shakhtar tie.
As with all clubs, avoiding Dortmund will be vital to progression. The German heavyweights are the rightful favourites for the title and will only strengthen that tag if they dispose of Liverpool.
At this time though Villarreal should consider themselves third, or maybe even second, favourites for the title.
The aforementioned Dortmund are the frontrunners, probably followed by Sevilla as they have won the past two Europa League titles.
The semi-finals are scheduled for April 28 and May 5. By kickoff in the first semi Villarreal will only have three games remaining in La Primera and may very well have already captured fourth place. By the same token when leg two kicks off they will only have two matches remaining and Champions League qualification may be confirmed.
With a clear mind that they have done their league business Villarreal will throw all their efforts into capturing the Europa League title.
At the semi-final stage of any tournament every team should fancy their chances of winning it. Villarreal will be an even greater beast to handle if they have achieved fourth in the league and would even fancy their chances in an all yellow tie against Dortmund.
In the seven games between now and the Europa League semi-final first leg Villarreal have all the work to do to conclude their season in the way they set out to do so.
Six of the seven fixtures are highly winnable for the Yellow Submarine as the highest ranked team they face in that run is Eibar in ninth place. The seventh game, Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, will almost certainly be their biggest test of not only the team’s strength in Spain but their favourability in Europe.
Over those seven games Villarreal cannot qualify for the Champions League twice, but they can go a long way to achieving their goal.
Their final six fixtures can do that, and with a certain panache. A derby game against Valencia, two semi-final matches, a final game in the league against a relegation candidate and a European title on the line in Basel.
Marcelino’s men sit on the cusp of club history, and should everything go according to plan could qualify for the Champions League twice.
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