Villarreal have enjoyed a strong season to date and currently sit fourth in LaLiga, on course to secure a spot in the Champions League next season. They’ve won 10 of their 13 home games in the Spanish top flight this term, only the two Madrid sides and Barcelona have a better home record than Villarreal in LaLiga this term.

Villarreal ran out 3-1 winners over Elche when these sides met earlier in the season, and were very comfortable in registering that victory. They limited Elche to just two shots on target, and scored from three of their four shots on target. Although Villarreal were overly clinical in that game, Elche’s away record would suggest that they are unlikely to get too much joy in this game.

Elche are the only side in LaLiga yet to win a game on the road with eight defeats from their 12 matches. They’ve conceded 24 goals across these games, so most of their away trips are seeing Elche concede at least twice - and they don’t have the attacking quality to account for this weakness at the back.

Elche also come into this game having failed to win any of their last five matches across all competitions, losing three of these games. Villarreal did suffer a heavy defeat to Barcelona last time out, but they are only really bested like this against the elite sides in Spain, so they shouldn’t have too many issues in recording another victory against the worst away side in LaLiga this season.

Bologna have come into a really strong patch of form after starting the calendar year a bit slowly. They come into this clash having won each of their last five matches across all competitions, notably keeping a clean sheet in four of these games and only conceding one goal overall across 450 minutes of football.

This doesn’t bode well for a Hellas Verona side who are the joint second lowest scorers in Serie A this season with only 20 goals across their 27 matches - a record that worsens when looking at their away games in Serie A this term. Hellas Verona have only scored eight goals across their 14 away games in Serie A this season, winning just one of these games. 

No side has picked up fewer points on the road in Serie A this season than Hellas Verona, with the away side here also conceding the joint most goals on their travels in the Italian top flight (27). Bologna ran out 3-2 winners when the sides met earlier in the season, and I can see this latest meeting being even more straightforward for Vincenzo Italiano’s side given their home advantage and recent run of form.

Nijmegen really are a bonkers side. I won’t spend too long detailing the tactical intricacies of Dick Schrueder’s setup, but they play with a positivity that few teams in Europe would dare to replicate - basing their approach around a system that encourages every player to bomb forward whenever the chance arises.

That adventurous style has seen Nijmegen feature in some of the most entertaining matches across the continent this season, and it’s served them well in the league standings too. They currently sit fourth in the Eredivisie, within striking distance of the Champions League places.

In terms of goals, Nijmegen have seen 3+ goals in three of their last five matches across all competitions. At home this term, their 12 Eredivisie games have produced a staggering 52 goals - averaging 4.33 per game. The reverse fixture between these sides also delivered, with Nijmegen claiming a 3-2 win away at Volendam. In fact, each of the last five league meetings between these two has seen three goals or more, adding further weight to the expectation of another high-scoring encounter.

The most recent meeting between these two ended 3-1 in favour of Fortuna Sittard, with both teams getting on the scoresheet. That result marked the fourth time in the last five head-to-heads that both sides have found the net, and there’s plenty to suggest we could see more of the same here.

Fortuna Sittard have seen BTTS in each of their last five matches across all competitions, and impressively, they’ve won their last two - against Excelsior and Nijmegen - despite those high-scoring affairs. At home in the Eredivisie this season, they’ve lost just three of 12 games, with those matches producing a total of 39 goals, averaging 3.25 per game.

Telstar, meanwhile, have also seen BTTS in four of their last five matches across all competitions, finding the net against sides like Alkmaar and Feyenoord in that stretch. Currently sitting five points from safety, every point is vital as they fight to keep their survival hopes alive. On their travels this season, Telstar’s 12 away games have yielded 27 goals (2.25 per game), though they’ve managed just two wins on the road.