Match Preview – Form Guide – Betting Prediction
On Wednesday night, Villarreal will travel to Anfield for the opening leg of their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.
The Reds are currently in the form of their life and have the upper hand against Villareal.
Villarreal on the other hand is currently seventh placed in La Liga as a result of their inconsistent performances this season. However, the Yellow Submarines defeated Valencia 2-0 in their previous match and will be looking to extend the win streak against Liverpool.
Moreover, they would be banking on the resilience that saw them eliminate Juventus and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, while Jurgen Klopp’s team will be hoping to repeat their 6-4 aggregate defeat of Benfica.
Liverpool vs Villarreal: Form Guide and Head-to-Head
The last match between the two sides was in 2016, which Liverpool won 3-0. Villarreal struggled on the day, and they’ll have to step up in this fixture else there would be a repeat of their last meeting.
Head-to-Head
| Liverpool | vs | Villareal |
| 1 | Wins | 1 |
| 3 | Goals | 1 |
| 3 | Games played | 3 |
| 1 | Draw | 1 |
Form guide for Liverpool: W-W-W-D-D
Form guide For Villarreal: W-W-D-D-W
Liverpool
Liverpool for the first time reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, FA Cup, and EFL Cup in the same season, and while they lost both their knockout legs at Anfield to Benfica and Inter Milan, Klopp’s side had already settled the tie in the first legs.
The first leg of the semi final will be Liverpool’s eighth game in a rigorous April calendar, with the Reds scoring at least two goals in every game this month, but Unai Emery and Villarreal demand plenty of respect ahead of the Spaniard’s return to English soil.
Liverpool have now played 10 matches in the Champions League this season winning 8, recording a loss and a draw and have scored a total of 25 goals. An impeccable form they are on!
Villareal
After shunting out Julian Nagelsmann’s side in a 1-0 first-leg win that should have been more, Villarreal held their own on Bayern Munich’s turf and left with a 2-1 aggregate victory thanks to Samuel Chukwueze’s 88th-minute equaliser to Robert Lewandowski’s earlier goal in the fixture.
With back-to-back victories over Getafe and Valencia in La Liga, their fortunes and confidence have improved as well.
Liverpool vs Villarreal: Team News
Liverpool’s roster is in fantastic shape ahead of the first leg, with Roberto Firmino the only slight question for the Reds after missing the Merseyside derby due to a foot injury.
Klopp, on the other hand, has a lot of options to choose from and is anticipated to recall Ibrahima Konate after the Frenchman scored in both legs of the quarter-final win against Benfica.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool left-back Alberto Moreno will not be playing for Villareal this week as he continues his recovery from a damaged cruciate ligament, while star forward Gerard Moreno is also poised to miss out in a major blow to the away side.
The only major issue for Emery is in the offensive third, where Chukwueze, Yeremi Pino, and Manu Trigueros are all vying for Moreno’s spot.
Liverpool vs Villarreal: Predictions
Villarreal will miss Gerard Moreno’s goalscoring and playmaking abilities at Anfield, and while we anticipate Liverpool to finally break the Yellow Submarine’s resistance and secure a first-leg advantage, they will undoubtedly have to be even more patient than they were against Everton.
Our prediction will be Liverpool win or draw and under 2.5 goals.
Match Odds
Liverpool to win 1.32
Villarreal to win 10.67
Draw holds a whopping 5.89
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