Liverpool want to reach the final, but Villarreal must not be underestimated. Where is the Yellow Submarine strongest?

Probably even the most loyal and optimistic Villarreal fan didn’t expect us to talk about his team before the Champions League semi-final. But it’s true, and after knocking out Juventus and Bayern, the “Yellow Submarine” is preparing for the next big bite – Liverpool.

On the face of it, it’s a very clear-cut match. Liverpool are playing arguably their best football under Jürgen Klopp and, along with Manchester City, are one of the strongest teams in the world at the moment. So knocking out the seventh team in La Liga should be a walk in the park.

But beware, it won’t be that easy. Villarreal may be the biggest underdog of the entire semi-final, but Juventus and Bayern have a lot to say about underestimating their tenacious opponents.

Villarreal do not impress the layman’s eye with handsome, attractive football. Rather, it will excite the experts who analyse the game of “Los Groguets” in detail. Jürgen Klopp confirmed this in his press conference. “I already had a lot of respect for Emery and Villarreal. But after we analyzed them in detail, I just said They are unreal.”

Coach Unai Emery is a master of detail. What he wants to play, he has worked out to the last detail, to the last second, to the last millimetre. He knows how to analyse the opponent and find their weaknesses and then tailor a plan for the team.

Maybe that’s why Villarreal is where it is. In the league, he often loses points unnecessarily to easy opponents where motivation or preparedness may not be ideal. Once ‘El submarino amarillo’ faces tough opponents, it jumps to another level. Last year in the Europa League, they knocked out Arsenal in the semi-finals and beat Manchester United in the final.

They almost scored in the Champions League group stage with that, too, if Cristiano Ronaldo hadn’t intervened in the 95th minute. In the league, they drew with both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, knocked out Juventus in the semi-finals after 1-1 and 3-0 results, and beat Bayern 1-0 and 1-1. In four matches with these teams, they have not lost even once!

Unai Emery’s charges are the strongest in that they can make something out of nothing. You can control the whole match, Villarreal may not even get past the half. But your concentration will loosen, Parejo and co. will wait for one opportunity and strike.

After all, a similar scenario happened at the Allianz Arena. Bayern were 1-0 up and just waited to see when their opponents would open up. Villarreal fought back fiercely, not firing a shot on target in the entire match. But in the 88th minute, one counter-attack and it was all over. Thus, Liverpool must not take their foot off the gas for the entire 180 minutes, as the Spaniards punished it severely.

Source: UEFA