Still missing Canada's Tajon Buchanan, Villarreal host Napoli in Champions League

Only two-thirds of Villarreal's Canadian trio are available for Tuesday's Champions League match at home against Italian side Napoli on Tuesday, but that's still a passing grade. The Yellow Submarine will be without Canadian winger Tajon Buchanan, who suffered a hamstring injury on Canada duty earlier this month.

Buchanan did not train with the team on the eve of the game, nor did Nicolas Pepe after he underwent an eye surgery. Both playersmissed this past weekend's narrow defeat to Real Madridas a result.

Nathan Saliba had his hair yanked on an eventual disallowed goal from Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. in that game, while Tani Oluwaseyi did not feature.

Saliba came off the bench after coming back from Canada camp, and could be thrown right into the starting lineup for UCL action. Villarreallost their opening game of the competition on Sept.

8 to Borussia Dortmund, with Serhou Guirassy scoring in the 80th and 85th minutes to win the game for the German side. Guirassy must have felt bad about making it 2-1 and then 3-1, so he scored an own goal in stoppage time to cut the deficit to 3-2 but Villarreal couldn't find a third.

Three Canadians started that game, the first time it has ever happened for the same team in a Champions League match. Things won't get any easier for Villarreal in round three next week when they visit Premier League giants Liverpool at Anfield.

For now they're up against a Napoli side that has a 3-1-2 record in Serie A this season and finished second to Inter Milan a year ago. They lost 1-0 to Arsenal in their first match, so both they and Villarreal will want to get three points on the board - the Spaniards especially after earning just one draw amongst seven losses and zero wins in last year's UCL.

"I think Champions League form should be considered separately from a team's overall form across all competitions," said Villarreal boss Iñigo Pérez in his pregame press conference. "They lost against Arsenal, which could have been expected, and we lost away to Borussia Dortmund.

Therefore, on Matchday 2, there is no urgency for either them or us. A different matter, in our case, is the excitement, hope and emotional 'need' to win because of what happened last season."