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Why Villarreal can win the Champions League
Why they can win it
The Yellow Submarine might not be fancied by many, yet they showed exactly what they're made of when they won the Uefa Europa League last season. When you throw in the fact they've already knocked out Juventus and Bayern, no less, anything is possible now they are in only their second ever Champions League semifinal.
Record v semifinal opponents Liverpool: Liverpool P2 W1 D0 L1 F1 A3
Uefa ranking: 18
European Cup best: semifinals (2005/06, 2021/22)
Last season: Europa League winners (1-1, W11-10p v Man. United)
Last semifinal: 2005/06 (L 0-1 agg v Arsenal)
This season
Record: W5 D3 L2 F18 A11
Top scorer: Arnaut Danjuma (6)
Quarterfinals: 2-1 agg v Bayern
Round of 16: 4-1 agg v Juventus
Group F: runners-up
Campaign so far
Profligate in the group stage, giant-slayers in the knockouts. Unai Emery's side desperately missed the injured Gerard Moreno for much of the campaign, but you have to give them credit for getting this far with their talismanic goalscorer reduced to a cameo role for large parts. Their build-up play deserved far more than to scrape out of their group, and knocking out Juve in the last 16 and Bayern in the quarterfinals is a warning to the rest of Europe.
How they play
In a rigid 4-4-2, with Emery prioritising a solid and well-drilled team. Raúl Albiol leads a back line which lays the foundation for a side that has mastered the art of inviting their opponents on to them before transitioning quickly from defence into attack. The pace of players such as Arnaut Danjuma and distribution of the likes of Daniel Parejo and Giovani Lo Celso are key.
Key player: Arnaut Danjuma
A summer arrival from the English second tier might not have had fans overly excited, but the Dutchman has been a revelation in both domestic and European football for Villarreal, troubling defences with his skill, pace and directness – and his eye for goal.
Coach: Unai Emery
The former Almería and Valencia coach made the Europa League his own with a hat-trick of successes at Sevilla. Led Paris to the treble in 2017/18 and Arsenal to a European final a year later, before joining Villarreal in summer 2020 – and promptly winning the Europa League again.
Did you know?
Just under half of Villarreal's 52 000 inhabitants can fit inside their 23 500-seat stadium.
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