Liverpool vs Villarreal: Reds look to maintain perfect UCL start

Ethan Parry

Liverpool host Villarreal in matchday three of the UEFA Champions League at Anfield this Tuesday, looking to maintain their perfect start to the campaign.

Both sides were victorious in their last league phase match, with a comfortable away win against LASK for Liverpool, and a 3-1 home win against Napoli for El Submarino.

Villarreal’s victory over the Italian side was their first win in their last 13 European matches, following seven consecutive defeats. Liverpool are unbeaten against Villarreal at Anfield and have won 15 out of their last 16 league phase matches on home turf.

On their travels to England, Villarreal don’t have the best of records, winning just once in 11 visits. Their only success was a 2-1 victory against Everton, in a 2005 Champions League qualifier.

Liverpool v Villarreal | Champions League | Match Preview

Speaking in his press conference before the match, Andoni Iraola described the match as a ‘special game’ and said it would be a ‘privilege’ to play against his former assistant coach, Inigo Perez.

Iraola said Villarreal is a team he ‘follows and knows the players well’, but believes it will be a ‘weird, but special game’. The Reds are heading into the fixture on the back of a 2-1 away league win against a nine-man Brentford side.

After missing the last two games through injury, Alexander Isak was back amongst the goals, where he found the back of the net for the fifth time this Premier League campaign. However, Liverpool’s injury trouble worsened over the weekend, which saw Dominik Szoboszlai suffer a recurrence of his hamstring issue, and Jeremie Frimpong was forced off the field after seven minutes from being subbed on. This could potentially be damaging, as they play five games in 16 days, with the longest rest being just five days.

All of the attackers leading the Liverpool line also contributed on the weekend, and summer signing Bradley Barcola returned his fourth goal contribution in two games. Iraola said the Brentford game was ‘the most demanding match yet’, so many players may not be fresh enough, but he vows to put the strongest possible line-up out on the pitch, with Cody Gakpo coming back into the fold.

The upcoming clash between the two will be the fifth time both have taken the same field in Europe, with Liverpool holding the advantage over the Spanish side, winning three. All previous matches have been semi-finals, the last being the 2021-22 Champions League semi-final, which saw a then Jurgen Klopp Reds side take on a much different Villarreal side.

Liverpool v Villarreal | Andoni Iraola & Ronald Araújo Champions League Pre-Match Press Conference

Following a 2-0 win at Anfield in the first leg, Villarreal matched the scoreline at half-time in the second leg. Midfielder Fabinho and wingers Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane completed a typical Scouse European comeback, progressing to Paris to face Real Madrid.

Liverpool also defeated Villarreal in the 2015/16 Europa League semi-final, as Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana contributed to a 3-0 win.
Some members of the current Liverpool side aren’t strangers to the visitors.

Loanee Ronald Araujo has faced Villarreal seven times prior to tomorrow’s clash, and Isak has netted three times for Real Sociedad against the away side. Head coach Iraola also scored his last ever professional goal facing the Yellow Submarine, in May 2015, during a 4-0 for Athletic Club.

Sitting 12th in La Liga, Villarreal’s start to the 2026/27 season has been fairly balanced, recording nine points from a possible 27. However, they started the season poorly, as they failed to win any of their first six across all competitions, which included four back-to-back defeats.

They arrive on Merseyside following a 0-0 stalemate against Elche, with head coach Perez stating his team left with a ‘bitter feeling’, a game where he feels they should have won and gained momentum.

There is a high chance a high-scoring game could be played out, as Villarreal have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their previous 13 UCL showings, and have only managed to obtain three clean sheets in their last 33 European matches.

Villarreal stars Tajon Buchanan and Nicolas Pepe will be absent for the trip to L4, through injury.

Liverpool will aim to make it three from three in the Champions League, and hope to gather important momentum as they enter a hectic schedule. Villarreal will be looking to kickstart their season into gear and ruin all hopes of a happy reunion for Iraola and Perez.