Big Match Feature: Liverpool v Villarreal

Liverpool are aiming to reach their tenth European Cup final at the expense of a Villarreal team who are hoping to play in their first.

Catch the action live on SuperSport at 9pm CAT.

While this is Liverpool's third Uefa Champions League semifinal in five seasons, Villarreal's only previous appearance came 16 years ago – and ended in defeat against English opponents – although impressive away results at Juventus and Bayern München in this season's competition give cause for optimism.

Liverpool are without a win at Anfield in this season's knockout rounds and have managed only two victories in their five Uefa Champions League knockout games at home to Spanish clubs (D1 L2).

Both of Villarreal's previous forays into the competition's knockout rounds have been ended by English opponents and they have failed to overcome Premier League clubs in their 12 previous matches in the Uefa Champions League, group stage to final (D6 L6).

Previous Meetings

The sides' only previous fixtures came in the semifinal of the 2015/16 Uefa Europa League, Adrian López scoring the only goal of the first leg in Spain to earn victory for a Villarreal side coached by Marcelino.

However, Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool went on to turn round the tie with a 3-0 success at Anfield, an early Bruno Soriano own goal (7) added to in the second half by Daniel Sturridge (63) and Adam Lallana (81).

James Milner and Roberto Firmino started both legs for Liverpool, while Sergio Asenjo and Mario Gaspar were in the Villarreal team for the first game. Gaspar and substitute Manu Trigueros also featured at Anfield, when Asenjo was anunused replacement.

Liverpool went on to lose to a Sevilla side coached by current Villarreal boss Unai Emery in the final.

Form guide

Liverpool

• The Reds' record in European Cup semifinals is W9 L2:

1964/65 Inter L 3-4 (3-1 h, 0-3 a)

1976/77 Zürich W 6-1 (3-1 a, 3-0 h)

1977/78 Borussia Mönchengladbach W 4-2 (1-2 a, 3-0 h)

1980/81 Bayern München W 1-1 away goals (0-0 h, 1-1 a)

1983/84 Dinamo Bucuresti W 3-1 (1-0 h, 2-1 a)

1984/85 Panathinaikos W 5-0 (4-0 h, 1-0 a)

2004/05 Chelsea W 1-0 (0-0 a, 1-0 h)

2006/07 Chelsea W 1-1, 4-1 pens (0-1 a, 1-0 h aet)

2007/08 Chelsea L 3-4 (1-1 h, 2-3 a aet)

2017/18 Roma W 7-6 (5-2 h, 2-4 a)

2018/19 Barcelona W 4-3 (0-3 a, 4-0 h)

Liverpool have never lost at Anfield at this stage of the European Cup, winning nine of their 11 matches (D2) and conceding just four goals.

The comeback victory against Barcelona three seasons ago made it nine aggregate wins in Liverpool's last ten European Cup semifinals.

The Reds are in the Uefa Champions League for the 14th time; this is the sixth season in which they have reached the semifinals.

Liverpool enjoyed a faultless record in this season's group stage having won 2-1 against AC Milan on Matchday 6 to conclude their perfect Group B campaign. They had opened with a 3-2 win at home to Milan before beating Porto (5-1a, 2-0 h) and Atlético de Madrid (3-2 a, 2-0 h).

The Merseyside club made it four away wins from four games with a 2-0 victory at Inter in the round of 16 first leg, going through despite a 1-0 loss at Anfield. They then won 3-1 at Benfica in the quarterfinal first leg, progressing 6-4on aggregate after a 3-3 home draw.

That means Liverpool are without a win in their last four Uefa Champions League knockout games at Anfield (D2L2), since the 4-0 victory against Barcelona in the 2018/19 semifinal second leg.

Liverpool were one of three teams who won all six group games this season, along with Ajax (Group C) and Bayern(E), although they were the only one of the three who made it seven successive victories in the round of 16 first leg before their run was ended by Inter. Milan (1992/93), Paris Saint-Germain (1994/95), Spartak Moskva (1995/96),Barcelona (2002/03), Real Madrid (2011/12, 2014/15) and Bayern (2019/20) have all previously recorded six wins from six in a Uefa Champions League group stage; only Bayern went on to lift the trophy.

This is Liverpool's fifth successive campaign in the Uefa Champions League proper, all under Klopp; runners-up to Real Madrid in the 2017/18 final, they claimed their sixth European Cup at the expense of Tottenham with a 2-0victory in the 2018/19 final.

Liverpool's last two Uefa Champions League campaigns have ended in defeat against clubs from Madrid. Dethroned by Atlético in the 2019/20 round of 16 (0-1 a, 2-3 h aet), they lost to Real Madrid in last season's quarterfinals (1-3 a, 0-0 h).

Klopp's side had finished first in Group D on 13 points, ahead of Atalanta, Ajax and Midtjylland, before beating Leipzig 2-0 in both legs of their round of 16 tie with both games played in Budapest.

Liverpool have won six of their last ten Uefa Champions League matches at Anfield (D2 L2).• Champions of England for the 19th time in 2019/20, their first league title since 1990, Liverpool finished third in the2020/21 Premier League.

The defeat against Atlético in the 2019/20 round of 16 ended Liverpool's perfect record against Spanish clubs in two legged European Cup knockout ties; they had won all the previous four, but were then beaten in the next as well, by Real Madrid last season. Their overall record in two-legged knockout ties with Liga sides in Uefa club competition isW9 L4.

This season's wins against Atlético have made it four victories in Liverpool's last 16 fixtures against Spanish clubs(D3 L9) – a sequence that also includes 3-1 losses under Klopp in the 2016 Uefa Europa League final to Emery's Sevilla and the 2018 Uefa Champions League final to Real Madrid.

The Merseysiders have won only seven of their 21 games against Spanish visitors at Anfield (D8 L6), although they have been victorious in five of the last nine (D2 L2).

Villarreal

• Villarreal's only previous European Cup semifinal ended in defeat:

2005/06 Arsenal L 0-1 (0-1 a, 0-0 h)

Villarreal are the 20th team to appear in multiple Uefa Champions League semifinals, and the fifth from Spain.

Last season's Uefa Europa League win against Arsenal (2-1 h, 0-0 a) was Villarreal's first semifinal success in that competition after defeats in 2003/04, 2010/11 and 2015/16, the latter against Liverpool. They did, however, win all three of their Uefa Intertoto Cup semifinals between 2002 and 2004.

The Spanish side picked up ten points in this season's group stage to reach the round of 16, finishing one point behind Manchester United having lost 2-1 away and 2-0 at home against the team they beat in last season's Uefa Europa League final.

Six of Villarreal's ten points came away from home thanks to wins at Young Boys (4-1) and Atalanta (3-2) after the defeat at United.

Villarreal were then held 1-1 at home by Juventus in the round of 16 second leg but late goals from Gerard Moreno(78pen), Pau Torres (85) and Arnaut Danjuma (90+2pen) secured a memorable 3-0 success in Turin.

Bayern were then overcome in the last eight, a 1-0 home win preceding a 1-1 draw in Germany in which substitute Samu Chukwueze scored an 88th-minute equaliser to take Villarreal through.

Villarreal have won three of their five European away games this season although the success at Juventus is one ofonly four in their last 14 away fixtures in the Uefa Champions League proper (D5 L5).

This is the Yellow Submarine's third appearance in the Uefa Champions League knockout rounds. Semifinalists ondebut in 2005/06, they made it to the quarterfinals three years later – both campaigns ended by Arsenal.

In 2020/21, Emery's team cruised to first place in Uefa Europa League Group I ahead of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sivasspor and Qarabag to reach the round of 32 for the eighth time before comfortably disposing of Uefa Champions League group stage participants Salzburg (2-0 a, 2-1 h) and Dynamo Kyiv (2-0 a, 2-0 h). They also won both quarterfinal matches against Dinamo Zagreb (1-0 a, 2-1 h) and then knocked out Emery's former employers Arsenal in the semifinal before beating Manchester United 11-10 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Gdansk final. Villarreal were undefeated in Europe in 2020/21 with 11 wins and three draws.

The defeat of United came in Villarreal's first major European final, though they were twice winners of the Uefa Intertoto Cup (2003, 2004) having finished as runners-up in 2002.

Seventh in the Spanish Liga in 2020/21, Villarreal's Uefa Europa League triumph means they are playing in the Uefa Champions League, group stage to final, for the fourth time, and the first since 2011/12.

That most recent campaign was also their least successful, Villarreal losing all six games to finish bottom of a section that also included Bayern, Napoli and Manchester City.

Villarreal were defeated 6-5 on penalties by Uefa Champions League holders Chelsea after a 1-1 draw in the 2021UEFA Super Cup on 11 August in Belfast.

With that counted as a draw, the defeat at United on Matchday 2 this season ended Villarreal's 26-match unbeaten run against non-Spanish opposition in European matches (W16 D10), since a 1-0 loss at home to Lyon in the 2017/18UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg. United remain the only foreign side to have beaten them in Uefa competition, home or away, since then.

The win against Arsenal last season made Villarreal's all-time record against Premier League opposition in two legged Uefa ties W2 L3. It was their first victory since the first of those ties, against Liverpool's neighbours Everton in the 2005/06 Uefa Champions League third qualifying round (2-1 a, 2-1 h).

Villarreal's overall record against English clubs is W5 D9 L7. In England it is W1 D3 L5, that victory at Everton on their first visit still their only success. Indeed they have failed to score in all but two of those eight subsequent matches in the country.

Links and Trivia

Emery replaced long-serving Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger in May 2018 and oversaw 78 matches for the Gunners until his dismissal in November 2019. His record against Liverpool was D1 L2 with both defeats at Anfield (1-5, 1-3).

Emery did, however, enjoy success against Liverpool as Sevilla coach, beating the Reds 3-1 in the 2016 Uefa Europa League final.

James Milner and Roberto Firmino both started that final for Liverpool, while Divock Origi came on as a second-half substitute and Jordan Henderson was an unused replacement. Alberto Moreno – now with Villarreal – also played forthe English club.

Moreno played for Liverpool between 2014 and 2019, scoring three goals in 90 Premier League appearances before joining Villarreal. He was an unused substitute when Klopp's side won the 2019 Uefa Champions League final 2-0against Tottenham.

• Have also played in England:

Juan Foyth (Tottenham 2017–20)

Étienne Capoue (Tottenham 2013–15, Watford 2015–21)

Francis Coquelin (Arsenal 2008–18)

Vicente Iborra (Leicester 2017–19)

Dani Parejo (Queens Park Rangers 2008/09 loan)

Arnaut Danjuma (Bournemouth 2019–21)

Serge Aurier (Tottenham 2017–21)

Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham 2019–22)

Pervis Estupiñán was a Watford player between 2016 and signing for Villarreal in 2020 but never made a first-team appearance.

Have played in Spain:

Fabinho (Real Madrid 2012/13)

Adrián (Real Betis 1998–2013, Alcalá 2008 loan, Utrera 2009 loan)

Thiago Alcántara (Barcelona 2005–13)

Diogo Jota joined Atlético from Paços de Ferreira in 2016 but never made a first-team appearance before joining Wolves in 2019 after loan spells with Porto and the English club.

Sadio Mané and Boulaye Dia featured together for Senegal in the 2022 CAF Africa Cup of Nations final in February, overcoming Mohamed Salah's Egypt on penalties to win the trophy for the first time. Mané scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out after missing a spot kick in normal time.

Mané then repeated the feat in March as Senegal beat Egypt in a shoot-out in their 2022 Fifa World Cup play-offafter a 1-1 aggregate draw. Dia scored for Senegal in the second leg to send the match to penalties, Salah missinghis spot kick in the resulting shoot-out.

International teammates:

Sadio Mané & Boulaye Dia (Senegal)

Virgil van Dijk & Arnaut Danjuma (Netherlands)

Thiago Alcántara & Pau Torres, Raúl Albiol, Gerard Moreno, Yeremi Pino (Spain)

Latest News

Liverpool

Joël Matip made his 50th appearance in the Uefa Champions League, group stage to final, in the quarterfinal second leg.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last ten games in all competitions (W8 D2), beating Everton 2-0 at Anfield in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.

Andy Robertson opened the scoring with his second Premier League goal of the season, equalling his career bestfor a campaign. Substitute Divock Origi headed the late second, his sixth career goal against Everton in all competitions.

The two goals on Sunday made it 13 headed strikes in this season's Premier League for Liverpool, the most in the English top flight in 2021/22.

The Reds had recorded ten clean sheets in 13 matches before the quarterfinal first leg at Benfica; they have managed two in their last six games, conceding eight goals.

The 1-0 home defeat against Inter in the round of 16 second leg is Liverpool's only loss in their last 26 matches in all competitions (W20 D5).

Jürgen Klopp's side have suffered only two defeats in their 33 Premier League games this season (W23 D7),winning ten in a row before drawing 2-2 at Manchester City on 10 April.

Mohamed Salah ended a run of six Liverpool games without a goal with two in a 4-0 win against Manchester United at Anfield on 19 April. That made it 30 goals for the season in all competitions.

Salah is the Premier League's top scorer this season on 22 goals. Diogo Jota is fourth on 15 with Sadio Mané fifth on 14.

A 1-0 win against West Ham at Anfield on 5 March was Liverpool's 600th Premier League victory.• The defeat against Inter is Liverpool's only loss in their last 33 home matches in all competitions (W24 D8), since a1-0 loss against Fulham on 7 March 2021 – their sixth successive defeat at Anfield.

On 16 April Liverpool reached the FA Cup final for the 15th time, and the first since 2012, with a 3-2 win against Manchester City at Wembley. Mané scored twice after Ibrahima Konaté had found for the net in his third successive appearance.

Liverpool will play Chelsea in the final at Wembley on 14 May.

On 27 February the Reds won the League Cup for the record ninth time, also in the final against Chelsea, beating the London club 11-10 on penalties at Wembley after a goalless 120 minutes.

The Reds had been level with Manchester City on eight League Cup wins.

Aged 36 years 54 days, James Milner became the oldest player to represent Liverpool at Wembley in the final, beating Kenny Dalglish's record (36 years 32 days). Harvey Elliott, aged 18 years 329 days, was the club's youngest Wembley player and the first 18-year-old to appear for Liverpool in a major final.

Roberto Firmino, who scored twice in the quarterfinal second leg against Benfica, missed the wins against Manchester United and Everton with a foot injury.

Villarreal

Villarreal are unbeaten in their last five games (W3 D2), winning at Getafe (2-1) and at home to Valencia (2-0) since the quarterfinal second-leg draw at Bayern.

The Yellow Submarine had lost three of their previous five matches, winning the other two, before their current unbeaten run.

The win at Getafe was only Villarreal's ninth in 24 away matches in all competitions this season (D6), losing nine including five of the last ten. Three of those nine away wins have come in the Uefa Champions League.

Victory against Valencia made it 12 home games without defeat in all competitions for Unai Emery's side (W8 D4).

Arnaut Danjuma, who scored the only goal in the first-leg defeat of Bayern, scored both against Valencia to take his club tally to 16 for the season in all competitions. The Dutchman has six goals in this season's Uefa Champions League, including four in his last five appearances.

Gerard Moreno, who was out with a calf injury between 6 February and 16 March, scored in the victory over Getafe before coming off injured with a hamstring problem that kept him out of the win against Valencia.

Alberto Moreno suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in a 1-0 defeat at Osasuna on 5 March and is likely to be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Francis Coquelin, who was out with a ruptured Achilles between 20 November and 5 March, has been sidelined by injury since the second leg at Bayern.