The Reds defeated Benfica 6-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, while Villarreal overcame Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate to make the final four of the competition for only the second time in their history.
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Liverpool will host giant killers Villarreal in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at Anfield on Wednesday. The Reds defeated Benfica 6-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, while Villarreal overcame 2020 champions Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate to make the final four for only the second time in their history. Jurgen Klopp has built a side which is very lethal going forward and they will be up against Unai Emery’s well-oiled Villarreal which has punched above its weight in this year’s competition, with their highly efficient defensive game-plan.
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Up next… our #UCL semi-final first leg ✊? pic.twitter.com/I5WPMorkgv
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 25, 2022
In the first leg of the quarter-finals in Lisbon, the Reds secured a 3-1 victory courtesy of goals from Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz. Although Benfica displayed a spirited performance to secure a 3-3 draw in the second leg at Anfield, it wasn’t enough and the Red went through to the next round. Konate once again opened the scoring before Roberto Firmino netted a brace to secure the draw.
After securing the last four berth, Klopp’s side defeated Manchester City 3-2 in a thrilling FA Cup semi-final match before thrashing Manchester United 4-0 and beating Everton 2-0 in the Premier League fixtures.
Andrew Robertson and Divock Origi netted for the Reds to get the better of the Toffees in the Merseyside derby on Sunday. Klopp’s side are very much alive in three competitions and have the chance to secure a rare four trophies in a single season.
They have already secured the EFL cup, currently placed second in the Premier League standings, just one point below leaders Manchester City, and the FA Cup final against Chelsea is coming up next month.
On the other hand, Villarreal are proving to be the dark horse in the competition this season. The Yellow Submarine has already got the better of some of the giants of European football to reach this far. In the round of 16, Emery’s side overcame Juventus before sending Bayern packing their bags to make the final four.
The first leg of the quarter-final at El Madrigal finished 1-0 in favour of Villareal courtesy of Arnaut Danjuma’s early strike. And then, at Allianz Arena, Samuel Chukwueze’s late strike canceled out Robert Lewandowski’s opener and earned the Spanish side a 2-1 aggregate win.
Villarreal’s domestic form hasn’t been very great as they are placed seventh in the La Liga standings, nine points adrift of the top four. But Emery’s side has won their last two league games and are in good form heading into the Liverpool clash. In the last match against Valencia, Danjuma netted a first half double to secure all three points.
Liverpool’s squad has been in superb shape ahead of the first leg, with Firmino being the only doubtful for the home side because of a minor foot injury. Klopp otherwise has a full strength team at his disposal.
As for Villareal, star-striker Gerard Moreno could miss the first leg because of a hamstring issue while left-back Alberto Moreno is still recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament injury.
Liverpool possible starting lineup: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Salah, Mane, Diaz.
Villarreal possible starting lineup: Rulli, Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Estupinan, Parejo, Coquelin Capoue, Lo Celso, Chukwueze, Danjuma.
The first leg of the Champions League semi-final fixture between Liverpool and Villarreal will take place at the Anfield Stadium and it will kick-off at 12:30 am IST on Thursday, April 28.
The match will be live streamed on the SonyLIV app and website, and the JioTV mobile app. Meanwhile football fans in India can also enjoy the action on TV networks, as the competition is telecasted on the Sony Ten network.
