Tottenham have won just one of their seven home games against Spanish opposition to date, beating Real Madrid at Wembley back in 2017.
Villarreal are winless in nine visits to England, losing six of them, their sole victory come when they first visited back in 2005, beating Everton in the Champions League play-off round at Goodison.
Tottenham vs Villarreal preview
After winning last season's Europa League, how far will Tottenham Hotspur go in this season's Champions League? Back in May, Spurs' 17 year wait for major silverware finally came to an end, as Ange Postecoglou guided them to Europa League glory, defeating Manchester United 1-0 in the final in Bilbao. This earned them a back door ticket into the Champions League, despite finishing 17th in the Premier League, the latter though resulting in the Aussie losing his job.
Now under Thomas Frank, Tottenham have won three out of four league games so far, most recently demolishing London rivals West Ham 3-0 away from home on Saturday evening. Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven on target during a 17 minute scoring spree in East London. In the Champions League meanwhile, after this, Spurs will also host København, Slavia Prague and Borussia Dortmund, while travelling to face familiar foes Bodø/Glimt and Frankfurt, as well as Monaco and PSG. To get into last season's top eight, clubs required 16 points and, given Tottenham's generally favourable fixture list, that has to be the target, hoping to start with a victory here.
As for Villarreal, they finished fifth in La Liga last season, so are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2021/22, getting all the way to the semi-finals under Unai Emery back then. To start the new campaign, Marcelino's team began with back-to-back home wins, swatting aside Real Oviedo 2-0 and then demolishing Girona 5-0 at Estadio de la Cerámica, before being denied victory at Balaídos before the international break, with Celta Vigo snatching a 95th minute equaliser.
On Saturday night, el Submarino Amarillo's unbeaten start did come to an end, albeit they were competitive in a 2-0 defeat against Atlético Madrid in the capital. Villarreal's next two Champions League fixtures after this one are against Juventus and Manchester City, both at El Madrigal, so every point will be precious to them, but can the Yellow Submarine sink Spurs in North London?
Tottenham vs Villarreal head-to-head record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Tottenham team news
Thomas Frank will have to make at least one change to his lineup for this one given that Mathys Tel, who led the line against West Ham, was controversially omitted from the UEFA squad.
Thus, with Dominic Solanke sidelined, there could be a debut for Randal Kolo Muani, having joined on loan from PSG on deadline day, albeit Richarlison is more likely to start. Xavi Simons made his own debut at the London Stadium, so will he introduce himself to the Spurs crowd with a goal?
Tottenham Hotspur predicted lineup vs Villarreal: (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, van de Ven, Romero, Spence; Palhinha, Matar Sarr, Kudus, Simons, Johnson; Richarlison.
Tottenham player to watch vs Villarreal
Brennan Johnson scored five times en route to Europa League glory last season, including the only goal in the final, so can he mark his first-ever Champions League appearance with a goal?
Villarreal team news
Former Arsenal duo Nicolas Pépé and Thomas Partey will be familiar faces to the Spurs support; considering what the latter has been charged with, his inclusion will rightly be controversial.
Marcelino will be without centre-back Willy Kambwala and star striker Gerard Moreno due to injured, while Manor Solomon is likely to feature against the club he is on loan from. Similarly, Juan Foyth made 32 appearances for Spurs, but will receive a warm welcome back to North London.
Villarreal predicted lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur: (4-4-2): Luiz Júnior; Mouriño, Foyth, Renato Veiga, Cardona; Parejo, Partey, Buchanan, Moleira; Pépé, Mikautadze.
Villarreal player to watch vs Tottenham
During his time at Newcastle, Ayoze Pérez twice scored against Tottenham, both times the winner at White Hart Lane, so can he repeat the feat in N17?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal prediction
We are backing Tottenham to prevail in this one, likely to be simply too strong for Villarreal who will not make life easy for Spurs, but lack top-end talent: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Villarreal.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal FAQs - UEFA Champions League
How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal in the Champions League on TV channel?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal in the Champions League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: Amazon Prime Video.
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal in the Champions League on live streaming?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal in the Champions League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Amazon Prime Video.
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal in the Champions League?
Tottenham Hotspur vs Villarreal takes place on Tuesday 16 September 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (BST), 15:00 (EDT) & 12:00 (PDT).