UEFA Champions League: Villarreal CF vs Liverpool FC | 4 May, 3 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

VILLARREAL:  

G | Geronimo Rulli 

CB | Pau Torres, Raul Albiol 

L FB | Pervis Estupiñan 

R FB | Juan Foyth 

C MF | Dani Parejo, Etienne Capoue 

A MF | Francis Coquelin, Giovani Lo Celco 

W | Arnaut Danjuma, Samuel Chukwueze 

 

LIVERPOOL: 

G | Alisson 

CB | Joel Matip, Virgil van Djik 

L FB | Andrew Robertson 

R FB | Trent Alexander-Arnold 

C MF | Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson 

L MF | Luis Diaz 

R MF | Diogo Jota 

ST | Sadio Mane 

 

 

With three days to recover, Villarreal is set to host Wednesday’s game against Liverpool. Following a 2-0 game in favor of Liverpool, it was a stressful game for Villarreal. Besides, of course, losing, manager Unai Emery had the perfect master plan to stop Liverpool’s winning streak, but alas it was all for nothing. Playing home, English men, courtesy of coach Jurgen Klopp, outmaneuvered the Spanish with ease. As May 4’s game inches closer, Villarreal now has the upper hand in playing home. At Estadio de la Cerámica, will Villarreal bare their teeth once again, or will they crumble to the pressure of playing against the visiting Premier League club? 

 

After last week’s tumble, extra pressure is now placed on Emery after his game plan got foiled, which consequently puts the players on edge, too, they’re the ones playing after all. The Spanish teams need to go all out with this one if they want to pull a win from Liverpool. Currently ranking 7th in La Liga with a 14-10-10 record across the board, they’ve collected 52 points to stand. 

 

On the visiting side of the field, the EPL, the club, and fans rejoice as Klopp renews his contract ‘til 2026, but as for everyone else? Probably not as excited. Klopp has always been a force to be reckoned with, from his days as a player leading up to his coaching career. His talents put alongside the Liverpool ton have created excellent chemistry as they’ve racked up 25 wins, 7 draws, and 2 losses in the Premier League. With 82 points in total, they’re 30 points above Villareal’s La Liga score. 

 

Okay, we get it, Liverpool is showing a sizeable advantage, but the second leg could still be a whole new story for the teams. Villarreal’s goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli has admitted that he saw their loss coming as they visited Liverpool, but that doesn’t mean they can’t turn things around, and he’s right. A new game’s a new game.  

 

Now, who will it be for May 4th? We’re going to have to side with Liverpool for this one. As Klopp has just newly re-established his contract, morale is high among him and his team. Another reason is that with their last matchup’s turnouts and their recent loss to Alaves, a considerably “weaker” team, it’s not looking good. What more if they go against one of the best in the game? However, we can very much count on Villareal to make this match harder for Liverpool to win, and there’s nothing more we love than a good game. 

 

3 AM (PST), Wednesday, May 4, 2022. Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal, Spain.