Liverpool’s Champions League campaign continues on Wednesday against a Villarreal side that has shocked some of the biggest clubs in Europe this season.
The Reds are having a very prolific season and bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 2.05 for them to score in both halves on Wednesday. The odds are at 8.00 for Villarreal to find the net in both halves.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 26th, 1:00 P.M. (EST)
The Spanish side only just snuck into the knockout stages, but they have beaten Juventus and Bayern Munich in impressive style and should have plenty of belief that their successful run continues in the semifinals.
Juve and Bayern had a very tough time creating chances against Unai Emery’s men and it will interesting to see if Villarreal can also keep Liverpool quiet. Defensive leader Pau Torres will play a key part in it.
Torres has developed into one of the best central defenders in Europe and is likely playing his final games for Villarreal this spring with a number of big clubs interested in his services. According to reports, both Manchester sides are keeping a close eye on the 25-year-old and the match-up against Liverpool gives Torres a perfect opportunity to show that he can make an impact against a top Premier League club.
In attack, Villarreal will have their hopes on a former Premier League man in Arnaut Danjuma. The Dutch international failed to make an impression at Bournemouth but has developed into a very dangerous winger in Spain.
Danjuma has 10 La Liga goals to his name and he’s also enjoyed European nights in recording six goals and one assist in 10 Champions League outings. Liverpool’s defense has looked a bit shaky in recent weeks and Danjuma has the quality to take advantage of any mistakes.
Danjuma’s international teammate Virgil van Dijk will look to play a big part in keeping the Villarreal man quiet. With Liverpool having scored over 130 goals across this season, the attacking players have taken all the plaudits but the defense deserves a lot of praise as well and van Dijk is the leader of the back-line.
There have been some issues at the back lately, but van Dijk is boasting some very impressive numbers. He has made 44 appearances this season and the team has registered 26 clean sheets with him in the lineup. It’s been a superb comeback campaign for the 30-year-old following an ACL injury and he will look to finish it off in style over the final few weeks of the season.
