Hajduk Split vs Villarreal

Villarreal take a trip to the Stadion Poljud to meet Hajduk Split in the return leg of their Europa Conference League playoff tie, looking to finish what they started in Castellon last week.

Despite taking an early lead at La Ceramica, Hajduk Split suffered a thumping 4-2 first-leg defeat and are now on the verge of missing out on European group stage football for the 11th season on the trot. Hajduk’s 2-1 home triumph over domestic rivals Lokomotiva Zagreb in the build-up to this clash may have slightly bolstered their confidence, having helped them arrest an underwhelming three-match losing streak across all competitions. Yet, the Croats’ porous backline has now conceded in five successive matches, suggesting Villarreal’s free-flowing attack may have a field day in Split. But on the bright side, the ‘Masters from the Sea’ have won their last two European home fixtures via a two-goal margin, so extra-time could still be on the cards.

That’s certainly not what high-flying Villarreal carry in their mind after winning their opening three competitive matches of 2022/23 by multi-goal margins. Confidence must be at an all-time high in the visiting camp following an astonishing 2-0 victory away to bitter La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid over the weekend. Interestingly, despite netting 2+ goals in all three matches this season, ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ have yet to score on either side of halftime. It’s also worth noting that the first-leg demolition of Hajduk has extended Villarreal’s 100% win ratio against Croatian clubs in European action (W3). There’s no downside for the visitors here, especially as they’ve won their last four away games by multi-goal margins spreading across multiple seasons.