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

Liverpool and Villarreal will clash in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal matchup. These two sides had already played once before in the semifinals of one competition, which was in 2016 in the Europa League. The Reds are also chasing the EPL trophy, and they are in excellent form right now. On the other side, Villarreal looks to create another sensation after eliminating Bayern in the previous round. Unlike Liverpool, they don’t have to worry about the domestic league, making things easier for the Yellow Submarine.

Preview

Liverpool (-320) successfully broke Everton in the second half of their Merseyside Derby, scoring two goals in the latter 45 minutes of the game. It was a bit tougher game than expected, but still, the Reds got out with three points in their bag.

This was the 10th straight event in which Liverpool didn’t lose, and the third win in a row, all of them with at least two goals scored. By the way, the Reds netted two or more hits in the past seven contests.

In the last two home events, Klopp’s unit didn’t allow a goal, beating Manchester United at first, 4-0 and then Everton, 2-0. Their defense will have to be extremely focused against the Spanish side, who hunts the rival’s mistakes throughout all 90 minutes.

Villarreal (+1000) is also in solid form, not losing once in the past five games. They were better than Bayern, before playing two games without winners, one against Athletic Bilbao and the second vs. Bayern on the road. After that, Unai Emery’s unit was better than Getafe and Valencia.

All these events apart from the victory against Bayern were with 2 or 3 goals, meaning moderate efficiency. Emery tightened up all the lines in the team, but what is more important is that his strikers started scoring, which wasn’t the case in the past.

Latest News

Firmino is the only player in Liverpool who has certain problems with injury, but he isn’t ruled out for Tuesday evening.

On the other side, both Morenos, Alberto and Gerard are not in the protocol, as well as Coquelin, and that might be a problem for Emery.

Head to Head Games

Back in the 2016 Europa League semis, Villarreal won the opening meeting at home, 1-0, but Liverpool rolled over the Spaniards in the rematch, beating them at Anfield, 3-0. Later on, they would lose to Emery and Sevilla in the finals, 3-1.

Prediction

For sure, Villarreal comes to defend at Anfield, but they won’t miss a chance to strike from a counter-attack or a set-piece if such an opportunity comes by. We saw how they handled Bayern. Though, the Reds are at a higher level than the German champions, and once playing at Anfield, they have the power to break any lock. We believe that there won’t be too many chances here, but that the hosts will triumph in the end. The odds aren’t high as we would like, but the risk isn’t either. That is why we suggest betting on the Reds’ victory.

Pick: Liverpool wins -320

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