Villarreal have been the giant killers in this seasons competition, having got the better of Juventus and Bayern Munich in the previous rounds.
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Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo says their “greatest strength is the team” ahead of the Liverpool clash. The Yellow Submarine will travel to Anfield for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final clash on Wednesday. Villarreal have been the giant killers in this seasons competition, having got the better of Juventus and Bayern Munich in the previous rounds and Parejo is optimistic that his side will continue their fairytale run in the competition against the Premier League giants.
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“After winning the Europa League without losing a game, and the trajectory we’ve had in the Champions League so far, we’re calm. We’re good individually, but our strength is our togetherness as a team.”#UCL
— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) April 26, 2022
“We have complete confidence,” said Parejo in a press conference ahead of the first leg at Anfield on Wednesday. On the basis of the teams we have beaten, not only this year, but also last year in the Europa League, and now the journey we have had in this Champions League.
“We are calm and we look at the group we have — we have good individuals but our greatest strength is the team. Knocking out Juventus and Bayern was very important for us because it showed we can reach a level where we can compete with these teams.”
Villarreal head coach Unai Emery has set up a strong defensive unit which is extremely difficult to break down. They defend as a team with almost nine players and hit the opposition on the counter-attacks whenever the opportunity arrives.
Parejo is a crucial player in Emery’s game plan as it is the Spaniard who plays a key role in the quick transition from defence to attack. The 33-year-old’s ability to quickly distribute quality passes to the attacking third allows the forwards to raid the opposition penalty area.
In the quarter-finals, Emery’s side registered just two attempts on goal over the two legs and managed to find the back of the net from those. It’s going to be Villarreal’s defence versus Liverpool’s attack on Wednesday and Raul Albiol lead back line would certainly be tested to their limits, against the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota.
