Expect Racing to set up in a compact 4-4-2 or a 5-3-2, packing the midfield and daring Villarreal to break them down. They’ll sit deep, funnel play wide, and rely on second balls and set pieces to nick something. It’s a classic promoted-side blueprint, and at El Sardinero, with a raucous home crowd, it can work — for a while. But Villarreal won’t panic. They’ll keep the ball, stretch the pitch, and look for half-space runners to knife through the lines.

Villarreal’s usual shape is a fluid 4-3-3, with full-backs pushing high and wingers cutting inside. They’ll dominate possession — that’s a given. The key battle will be in the wide areas: can Racing’s wing-backs track the runners, or will they get dragged out of shape? If Villarreal’s midfield double pivot can control the tempo, they’ll create chances. Racing’s best hope is to stay compact and hit on the counter, but that requires discipline for 90 minutes. Against a side with Villarreal’s patience, that’s a tall order.