Villareal failed to clear from the edge of their area, and Brazilian playmaker Roberto Firmino pounced to take the ball and play a first-time pass to Sturridge, who rolled it beyond Alphonse Areola in the Spanish side’s goal. They have never made it to the final of the Europa League and are eager to get there after major improvements to their squad over the last four years.
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“I don’t think the refereeing was quite equal for both sides”.
Here’s another installment with our friends at The Liverpool Offside on what they expect from the match. We take 50,000, 60k, 70k Liverpudlians with us – maybe 100k – not in the stadium, but in the city.
“I sense the chance more than I am afraid of something – so let’s try”. Villarreal do have the players to hurt Liverpool but Klopp’s men will be focused and the Reds are well priced at 21/20 to keep a clean sheet.
The pace of Liverpool’s play was relentless and inventive, and Villarreal didn’t know what had hit them in the opening half an hour. It’s not about being patient, it’s about being patient with a clear direction.
“In the context of this game the referee was letting a lot go so to then see a sending-off you make your own conclusions”, he said. It’s only playing football.
Villarreal are not as good as the Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund sides Liverpool beat in the previous two rounds of the Europa League and if we score first, I’m convinced a place in the final will be secured. With all three players making their return after they were potentially ruled out for the rest of the season, Jurgen Klopp has a fair amount of options to choose from as he sets out to field a competitive lineup against Villarreal.
Villarreal pose a challenging proposition with their strong tactical approach, but this is a big opportunity for the Reds to finish a tough season with silverware. Hard in the tackle but composed when Villarreal attacked, it was another impressive display from the Croatia global.
Having seen Tottenham dismantled by Dortmund in the previous round, even the most ardent Liverpool fans must have been concerned.
“Everyone knows that. Like he said in the beginning, [he wants to turn people] from doubters to believers, so next season will be a different thing”.
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There is also a possibility that he will be able to call upon German midfielder Emre Can, who reportedly returned to training ahead of schedule on Monday after spraining ankle ligaments last month.
