Liverpool supporters are dreaming of a seventh Champions League success and their odds have significantly shortened after breezing past Benfica. The Reds won 3-1 in Portugal before playing out a 3-3 draw at Anfield which involved Klopp fielding a weakened team and managing the game effectively to get over the line.
The Merseyside team now line up against Villarreal on Wednesday 27 April and you can get a best price 2/7 that Liverpool claim a first leg victory. The Anfield crowd will be expecting an onslaught from a team that are regarded as among the leading pair in Europe, with all the big guns lining up against Spanish opposition.
This will include Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who have been so vital in helping Liverpool claim domestic and European titles, while Diogo Jota is probably the next attacking name on the team sheet, although Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz offer great attacking alternatives for the home side.
Are Liverpool a Betting Banker to Beat Villarreal?
It’s certainly hard to see Liverpool slipping up in the same way that Juventus and Bayern Munich did against the same opponent. This is a team who have the blueprint of winning the Champions League three seasons ago and the majority of the squad that won on that occasion when beating Tottenham remain in place.
Players like Jota and Thiago Alcantra are quality additions to a side who will look to try and take the tie away from Villarreal in the first leg and there is so much to like about the spine of the team which includes Allisson in goal and Virgil van Dijk being partnered by Joel Matip in central defence.
However, there might be a question mark over the fact that Milan did lead 2-1 at Anfield during the group stage before losing 3-2. In addition, Internazionale were able to make things nervy when claiming a 1-0 win in Merseyside after Liverpool had won 2-0 at the San Siro. You could even point to the fact that Benfica were able to score three times albeit against a second string team.
Villarreal Bidding to Conquer Europe for Second Season Running
Unai Emery is something of a grandmaster when it comes to European competitions. The Spaniard won the Europa League on three consecutive occasions with Sevilla, while the former Arsenal manager was also able to steer Villarreal to success in the same competition last season when overcoming Manchester United on penalties in the final.
Emery is now working his magic again and the Yellow Submarine are clearly the big surprise package of the tournament. Getting through to the knockout stage was a great achievement and they have now navigated past two favourites. The victory over Bayern Munich was particularly stunning and they really stopped the German champions in their tracks.
Villarreal will go to Anfield feeling confident and happy enough to play the role of underdogs against a team who are going to be feeling the pinch of a long few weeks where they’ve been engaged in battles with Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton.
What Are the Best Betting Tips for Liverpool v Villarreal?
We can’t really tip Liverpool to win this clash with any confidence considering their prohibitive odds. However, there’s the chance to back them to triumph without conceding and that is certainly going to be the key aim. We can expect the Reds to be dominant on the ball and for Villarreal to try and nullify the threat by defending deep.
Indeed, you could go for the 1-0 and 2-0 winning scorelines in favour of Liverpool and be fairly confident that one of these could land a profit. There needs to be a way of getting with the Reds beyond simply backing them at short odds, while we could also look at Under 2.5 Goals which would cover both of these outcomes.
Bayern Munich were unable to get the better of Villarreal at the Allianz Arena after trailing 1-0 from the first game, with the second leg ending in a 1-1 scoreline. However, this could be another game where Diogo Jota breaks the deadlock and he rates as a more attractive first scorer bet than Salah.