Liverpool vs Villarreal Match Analysis and Prediction

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Villarreal will be seeking to pull off another remarkable Champions League upset when they make a trip to Anfield for the first leg of their semi-final with Liverpool on Wednesday.

The Reds defeated Benfica 6-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, while Unai Emery’s side saw off Bayern Munich to make the final four.

All eyes were on Darwin Nunez during the second leg of Benfica’s quarter-final at Anfield, and the Uruguayan certainly delivered, but Liverpool carved their way through the backline of Juan Vertonghen and Nicolas Otamendi three times to inch closer to continental glory.

With just a month remaining before the end of the 2021-22 campaign, Liverpool could yet add an unprecedented haul of four trophies to their cabinet, although the Premier League title remains out of their hands heading into the final straight.

Liverpool have never taken part in the semi-finals of the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup in one season, and while they failed to defeat both Benfica and Inter Milan during their knockout legs at Anfield, the Reds had already settled the tie in the first legs.

Surprisingly, Villarreal were not the ones being seen off by two European heavyweights in the previous Champions League stages, with Juventus and most recently Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich failing to succeed against Unai Emery’s side.

The Yellow Submarine have already faced two major tests of their European mettle and should therefore travel to Merseyside with unstoppable optimism about their chances of securing a positive result.

Winning three and drawing one of their four Champions League matches on the road since losing to Manchester United back in September, Villarreal have scored in all of those encounters on rival turf so far, but their only previous semi-final appearance in the 2005-06 season ended in defeat to English opposition in Arsenal.

Liverpool vs Villarreal head to head

The two teams have previously met on only two occasions in the Europa League, where either side have won once. Liverpool have scored three goals while Villarreal have scored once in those occasions. They now meet for the third time in a competitive game in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals.

Villarreal 1-0 Liverpool 28/04/16

Liverpool 3-0 Villarreal 05/05/16

Liverpool latest home form

Liverpool have recently been on a good run of form at home, having been unbeaten in their four most recent matches. Their last home defeat came 1-0 against Inter Milan on March 8 in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored 11 goals and conceded four.

Liverpool 0-1 Inter Milan 08/03/22

Liverpool 2-0 Watford 02/04/22

Liverpool 3-3 Benfica 13/04/22

Liverpool 4-0 Manchester United 19/04/22

Liverpool 2-0 Everton 24/04/22

Liverpool latest away form

Liverpool have recently been on a good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their 12 most recent matches. In their last away game, they defeated Manchester City 3-2 in the FA Cup. In their last five away matches, they have scored 11 goals and conceded five.

Arsenal 0-2 Liverpool 16/03/22

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool 20/03/22

Benfica 1-3 Liverpool 05/04/22

Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool 10/04/22

Manchester City 2-3 Liverpool 16/04/22

Villarreal latest home form

Villarreal have recently been on a good run of form at home, and have been unbeaten in their ten most recent matches. They managed to defeat Bayern Munich 1-0 on April 6 in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded just two.

Villarreal 5-1 Espanyol 27/02/22

Villarreal 1-0 Celta Vigo 12/03/22

Villarreal 1-0 Bayern Munich 06/04/22

Villarreal 1-1 Athletic Bilbao 09/04/22

Villarreal 2-0 Valencia 19/04/22

Villarreal latest away form

Villarreal have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, as they have lost two of their five most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich on April 12 in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded five.

Juventus 0-3 Villarreal 16/03/22

Cadiz 1-0 Villarreal 20/03/22

Levante 2-0 Villarreal 02/04/22

Bayern Munich 1-1 Villarreal 12/04/22

Getafe 1-2 Villarreal 16/04/22

Liverpool news

Klopp has a full list of options and is expected to bring Ibrahima Konate straight back into the side, while Roberto Firmino remains the only doubt once again with a foot injury.

Jordan Henderson and Luiz Diaz hope for recalls to the first XI after having featured among the substitutes at the weekend.

Villarreal news

Attacker Gerard Moreno is set to miss out on Wednesday, while left-back Alberto Moreno will not feature against his former club as he recovers from a ruptured cruciate ligament.

Yeremi Pino, Chukwueze and Manu Trigueros are battling to deputise for Moreno alongside Arnaut Danjuma, who is linked with a move to Liverpool.

Prediction and Odds

Villarreal enter the contest having succeeded against two European champions away from home, and will believe they have a chance to once again pull off a surprise at Anfield.

However, we believe Liverpool are capable of breaking Villarreal’s resistance and earn a first-leg advantage in front of their own supporters.

Odds: 1 1.90 X 2.05 2 2.20