There's something about Spain that continues to unsettle Manchester City. For all their continental pedigree and domestic dominance under Pep Guardiola, the English giants have rarely found comfort on Iberian soil. Their record tells a sobering story: just four wins, four draws and nine defeats across 17 visits.
Their Spanish story began in 1969, when Malcolm Allison's City drew 3-3 with Athletic Club in the Cup Winners' Cup. Fast forward to the 1970s, and defeats like the 2-1 loss at Valencia in 1972 showed early signs of the struggles that would define their Iberian adventures.
Fast forward again to the modern era, and the pattern persists. In 2008, even a modest Racing Santander side stunned City 3-1 on an embarrassing night in a largely forgettable campaign.
The next few years were a catalogue of pain in Catalonia and the capital. A string of defeats against Barcelona (2-1, 1-0, and then a humbling 4-0 in 2016) underlined how far City still had to climb.
The 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the 2016 semi-final and the 3-1 collapse at the Bernabeu in 2022 then further reinforced the narrative.
There were flickers of progress: the 2-1 win over Real Madrid in 2020, the 4-0 demolition of Sevilla in 2022, even a stubborn 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid, but the most recent chapter, a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in February 2025, reminded everyone that history still casts a long shadow.
Yet, curiously, the last time City visited Villarreal they left with a swagger after a commanding 3-0 victory in November 2011, a moment that hinted at their coming ascent.
Fourteen years on, they return to La Ceramica with similar ambitions but greater expectations, aiming to impose the kind of control that has defined Guardiola's best sides.
Form suggests City should arrive confident. They sit second in the Premier League, and Erling Haaland has been nothing short of sensational, with 23 goals in 13 games for club and country during a blistering start to the campaign.
Even so, their European form has been inconsistent: two wins, two defeats and a draw from their last five continental fixtures.
Villarreal, meanwhile, are in respectable shape domestically - third in La Liga - but their recent European run has been less convincing, with three defeats and two draws in their last five outings.
Marcelino's men, however, have made La Ceramica a fortress of late, and their compact, aggressive approach could frustrate City's rhythm.
On Tuesday night, the stage will shimmer in Castellon as the ghosts of old Spanish nights wait to see if Manchester City have truly learned how to win on their least forgiving ground.