UEFA Champions League: Villarreal vs. Liverpool Preview, Odds, Prediction

Villarreal and Liverpool square off this Tuesday night at El Madrigal in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal matchup. The hosts have to catch up on a 2-0 deficit from the first game, which isn’t too bad when considering that the Reds rolled over them in the second half and that they had at least two more very good chances for scoring. A miracle is needed for Unai Emery and his unit. The Yellow Submarine has to open and attack, and against Liverpool, that’s usually the combination for a disaster.

Preview

Villarreal (+375) lost the last two games following several good performances in a row. At first, they were beaten at Anfield 2-0, and this Saturday against Alaves on the road, 2-1. This is the sixth time in the last nine events to see the Yellow Submarine conceding a goal

However, when looking at the contests at Madrigal, Villarreal is doing a perfect task. Emery’s crew is without a loss for 12 straight games, posting eight victories and four draws across all the competitions.

Lately, a vast majority of the games were with low efficiency, not seeing three goals. To be precise, six of the most recent seven were with under 2.5 goals. Three of the latest four saw just one side scoring.

Liverpool (-120) extended its winning streak to five games after beating Newcastle on the road on Saturday afternoon, 0-1. This was the fourth consecutive event in which the Reds kept clean sheets.

On the other side, it was only the second in the past dozen in which their attack couldn’t score two or more goals. Liverpool’s attacking line is at its best, and Klopp uses that in the best possible way.

Away from Anfield, the Reds are without a loss in the previous 12 road trips, posting 11 victories and one draw throughout that stretch. Their counter-attack is ferocious away from home as Salah, Mane, Diaz, and the rest of the pacey players have more space than at Anfield.

Latest News

Morenos, Alberto, and Gerard are out for the hosts, the same as Pino. A big problem for Emery is Raul Albiol’s condition, and the veteran will be a game-time decision. Also, Coquelin is questionable, and Emery needs to wait for Tuesday night and see what happens with him.

On the other side, the only questionable player is Roberto Firmino, who has had problems with his foot injury for quite some time now.

Head to Head Games

The last time these two sides met at El Madrigal was in 2016, in the Europa League semis. Back then, the hosts won 1-0, but Liverpool trashed them at Anfield, 3-0, advancing to the finals.

A blitz in the first meeting that saw the two goals in Villarreal’s net in the span of two minutes decided that contest.

Prediction

We back up the Reds to win here. Villarreal needs to open and chase a two-goal deficit, which will leave space in the back for their pacey strikers, who are in good shape. The odds on Liverpool’s win are -120, which is completely satisfying on our behalf.

Pick: Liverpool -120

Here is the preview for Real Madrid vs. Man City game.