Liverpool v Villareal (H) CL

[Buzzo]

Weds night.

It is going to be relentless from now on in.

I've no idea what sort of team Villareal are, but they put out Bayern so obvs not to be taken lightly. Home game first means we need to hope for a couple of goals advantage to take to the away tie.

Team - no idea, dont know if/when we can rotate

AB

Trent
Konate
VVD
Robbo

Fab
Thiago
Hendo

Salah
Mane
Diaz

[SB]

I thought Trent looked spent yesterday so can we afford to risk Gomez for this one?

[Buzzo]

I thought Trent looked spent yesterday so can we afford to risk Gomez for this one?

I had Gomez in on my original selection

Dunno if it was the derby factor, but agree Trent had one of those games where he couldn't find a red jersey yesterday.

[SB]

I had Gomez in on my original selection

Dunno if it was the derby factor, but agree Trent had one of those games where he couldn't find a red jersey yesterday.

This is where we really do need to trust our squad really. Gomez was good last time out so why not play him here?

[Doc_Piptorious]

This is where we really do need to trust our squad really. Gomez was good last time out so why not play him here?

Gomez was good the last two or three times he played at RB to be fair.

[spud_gun]

I think Naby will start on Wed. He provides more going forward then Hendo does.

Villarreal will sit deep and look to hit us on the counter.

[Buzzo]

Diaz is a must. He just has that X-factor and unpredictability that no coach can prepare to defend against. He causes havoc creating so much space for Mo and Sadio.

Amazingly enough I think Jota, despite his best ever season, is 4th choice.

[RedReet]

Preview from Athletic:

Liverpool vs Villarreal
Make no mistake, Liverpool will be strong favourites for this tie, but so were Juventus and Bayern Munich when they were matched up against Villarreal and both were defeated across two legs.

On paper, Villarreal’s underlying numbers are not the best of the remaining sides. They are the lowest scorers, and while they take fewer shots on average, those they do take are of higher quality (0.16 xG per shot) — you only have to look at their goals against Bayern Munich as recent evidence of that.

Unfortunately, they are also conceding more shots than they are creating, meaning their xG against of 1.5 per 90 is the worst of the four sides left in the competition.

Liverpool will get chances.



Typically, Unai Emery sets his team up in a 4-4-2 formation, with a rotating forward line largely made up of Gerard Moreno, Tottenham Hotspur loanee Giovani Lo Celso, Manu Trigueros and former Bournemouth attacker Arnaut Danjuma.

Moreno will be a likely absentee for Villarreal having picked up a hamstring injury against Getafe, which will be a big blow to Emery’s side. The 30-year-old’s goalscoring — 13 goals in 26 games — will be missed, but so too will his all-round play as the Spaniard is a key focal point of Villarreal’s attack.



As The Athletic recently reported, expect to see midfield general Dani Parejo patrolling the centre of the park alongside former Watford midfielder Etienne Capoue, looking to feed those ahead of them.

With Moreno’s fitness a strong doubt, the threat of Danjuma will be even more important to Villarreal’s attacking intent. The Holland international leads his side’s goals tally with six — five non-penalty goals — having flourished in his second opportunity of playing in the Champions League.



It was substitute Samuel Chukwueze who grabbed the winning goal for Villarreal against Bayern Munich, and although the right winger hasn’t been a regular starter this season, he could be a valuable weapon across the two legs.

How? Well, Chukweuze is simply relentless in his propensity to dribble with the ball, with his eight dribbles attempted per 90 in La Liga the second-highest across Europe’s top five leagues.



Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will get forward from full-back, but with the high defensive line that Liverpool play there will be space to exploit — just as Manchester City evidenced in their recent league clash.

It wouldn’t be the worst tactic to play fast, counter-attacking football against Liverpool, who are both possession-dominant and devastating in transition. If Villarreal can stay compact and use pace in wide areas, they may have some joy. That being said, Emery’s men had their own ideas in a similar match-up against Bayern Munich, where they elected to play with a more considered, patient approach that ultimately paid off.

Villarreal are not accustomed to being so advanced in the Champions League. Their only previous appearance in the last four of Europe’s top competition was against Arsenal in 2006.

By contrast, Liverpool will lean on their experience as they aim to get to a third Champions League final in five years. According to FiveThirtyEight’s Soccer Power Index (SPI) ratings, Jurgen Klopp’s men are the strongest side in Europe and will take some stopping in their quest to earn multiple titles this season.

There is little more to say of the attacking threat that Liverpool pose. Klopp’s ability to rotate his front line is a luxury that he has not been accustomed to very often as Liverpool manager, but fans would not be disappointed to see any one of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah start either of the two legs.

Liverpool’s 24 goals in the Champions League is the highest of the four teams left, mirroring their success domestically as the Premier League’s most prolific side (85 goals scored).

Across the two competitions, Liverpool have had no fewer than 18 different goalscorers as Klopp has maximised his squad to battle on multiple fronts.



The injection of quality from January signing Diaz has only added to that potency in open play, but Liverpool also remain the strongest threat from set pieces, scoring eight in the Champions League so far — with the remaining three sides all scoring just three apiece.

So, one of Europe’s most potent attacks versus a side sitting seventh in La Liga. On paper, you would not give Villarreal a realistic chance. But evidence shows that you simply cannot write off any Emery side in Europe.

Since the start of the 2009-10 season, Emery has progressed from 84 per cent of his European knockout ties (31 out of 37 in the Europa League and Champions League). That is the second-best ratio of any manager to have taken charge of at least 10 games, after only Zinedine Zidane (88 per cent record winning 14 out 16 games).

It might be one step too far for Villarreal, but if they do pull off the improbable, they have the reward of a first Champions League final in the club’s history.

[Harv]

Villarreal are an excellent side. Not to be taken lightly. They play as a team, and are well drilled. Danjuma is a handful on the left, Moreno is endless running and energy through the middle and Parejo and Catpoo in the centre can hold their own.

We'll need to be on our A game against this lot for sure. They will sit back, make our lives very difficult and love to counter.

[Buzzo]

Villarreal are an excellent side. Not to be taken lightly. They play as a team, and are well drilled. Danjuma is a handful on the left, Moreno is endless running and energy through the middle and Parejo and Catpoo in the centre can hold their own.

We'll need to be on our A game against this lot for sure. They will sit back, make our lives very difficult and love to counter.

Its like having Guilleme Ballbag on the site.

[Fosterbloke]

Villarreal are an excellent side. Not to be taken lightly. They play as a team, and are well drilled. Danjuma is a handful on the left, Moreno is endless running and energy through the middle and Parejo and Catpoo in the centre can hold their own.

We'll need to be on our A game against this lot for sure. They will sit back, make our lives very difficult and love to counter.

Apparently Moreno has a hamstring injury -

https://theathletic.com/news/gerard-moreno-suffers-hamstring-injury-ahead-of-villarreal-facing-liverpool-in-champions-league/leIRch4O60bt/

[Mark79]

Apparently Moreno has a hamstring injury -

https://theathletic.com/news/gerard-.../leIRch4O60bt/

Gerard Moreno, their centre forward. Though he was missing at the weekend.

[Paul12]

I know we have to find ways of giving players a break, but I think the key to this tie is winning the home leg well. I'd be inclined to start strong and hope we can substitue players out in the second half.

[Rich]

Villareal soaked up loads of Bayern pressure pretty easily in the previous round. Really compact, really well organised and could break at speed.

[Fosterbloke]

Gerard Moreno, their centre forward. Though he was missing at the weekend.

Do you think I'd be worried if it were Alberto Moreno?