Liverpool vs Villarreal

Anfield plays host as Liverpool and Villarreal go head-to-head in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.

Coming into this fixture, Liverpool thrashed Everton 2-0 in the latest edition of the Merseyside derby to take their unbeaten Premier League form to 14 games (W12, D2) and maintain a one-point deficit on table-topping Manchester City. Although Jurgen Klopp’s men have suffered just a single defeat at home this season, all competitions included, they are winless in both Champions League knock-out matches at Anfield this term (D1, L1). Indeed, the ‘Reds’ have racked up just six of their last ten Champions League home outings (D2, L2). Moreover, after winning their first four Champions League two-legged knock-out ties against Spanish clubs, Liverpool have lost the last two in a row, including a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in last season’s quarter-finals. Topically, they have won just two of their last 16 European clashes against LaLiga sides (D3, L9), including a brace of group stage wins over Atletico Madrid earlier this season.

On the other hand, Villarreal have already established themselves as the Champions League surprise package, having ousted Juventus and Bayern Munich en route to reaching their first competition’s semi-finals since 2005/06. Unai Emery’s men will show up at Anfield in a confident mood after winning their last two LaLiga fixtures, including a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over bitter domestic rivals Valencia at the weekend. Riding on a five-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (W3, D2), ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ will have to defy the odds again. They’ve won just one of their nine previous European trips to England (D3, L5), courtesy of a 2-1 triumph at Everton in their first-ever visit to the country. Yet, before slumping to a 2-1 loss at Manchester United on Matchday 2, Villarreal had gone unbeaten in 26 European fixtures against non-Spanish opponents (W16, D10).