Villarreal vie to overturn first-leg deficit in Monaco

Villarreal CF will have to pull out all the stops tonight at Monaco's Stade Louis II, as they seek to reverse the Ligue 1 outfit's 2-1 triumph in the sides' first meeting at the Madrigal. Villarreal head to the French Riviera looking to advance to the competition proper and ensure that their efforts in clinching a fourth-placed finish last term - which gave them access to the Champions League playoff round - are not in vain.

Fran Escriba, who made his bow in the Villarreal dugout in the first leg, is faced with the challenge of masterminding a comeback without several of his key men, including Roberto Soldado, Cedric Bakambu, Denis Cheryshev, Daniele Bonera and Jonathan dos Santos.

Despite the difficultly of the task facing his troops, Escriba is clear on what his side have to do and has expressed his confidence in his players' ability to turn the tie around: "We're all set for the game." Echoing his coach's optimism, defensive stalwart Victor Ruiz has no doubts that he and his teammates are capable of progressing: "We believe in ourselves and that we can turn the tie around."

As for the French side, they may head into the game in a commanding position, but coach Leonardo Jardim - who is unable to call on the injured Radamel Falcao - is under no illusions about the challenge ahead: "We'll go out there and play just like we did in the first leg, with a positive attitude. We've got the chance to achieve something special, so we'll try and produce our best football and qualify."