At 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on Thursday, the first leg of the second semi-final of the Champions League, Liverpool hosted Villarreal. Although this game is not a strong dialogue like Manchester City vs Real Madrid, there are also many points to watch, and it is wonderful not to be missed.
Highlight 1: Europa League to Champions League, meet again in 6 years
Historically, Liverpool and Villarreal have met only twice, both in the 2015-16 Europa League semi-finals. In the first leg, the Reds lost 1-0 away from home, but returned to Anfield in the second leg, Klopp's side completed a 3-0 comeback, and of the players who participated in that game, only Firmino was still there.
Watch point 2: Liverpool win without suspense?
Both in terms of Champions League experience and overall strength, Liverpool seem to have the upper hand. They have scored 25 goals this season, the third most in the Champions League and 18 in Villarreal, but the number of goals conceded by both teams is the same, both 11. According to the prediction of the famous website "538", the Reds have a 79% chance of reaching the final and are expected to continue to impact the quadruple crown!
Watch Point 3: Can Salah break the ball drought?
Salah has made 10 Champions League appearances this season and scored eight goals, which looks efficient, but the second leg of the round of 16 against Inter and the two legs of the quarter-finals against Benfica have not scored, suffering a three-game drought. However, the Premier League has played manchester United and Everton two major rivals, he contributed 2 goals and 2 assists, and his status has picked up.
Highlight 4: Villarreal upset again?
In the round of 16 and the quarter-finals, Villarreal eliminated Juve and Bayern in succession, two European giants, and reached the final four of the Champions League for the second time in the history of the team, becoming the biggest dark horse. Facing another giant, Liverpool, can they continue to be upset? You know, the first two away games, they are 3-0 Juve, 1-1 Bayern, remain unbeaten!
Watch point 5: Emery plays Liverpool again
Since his coaching career, Emery has played Against Liverpool five times, the first time in the 2016 Europa League final, when he led Sevilla to a 3-1 victory, but it was also the only victory. He has since travelled to the Premier League to coach Arsenal, facing the Reds and Klopp four times, drawing 1 and losing 3 defeats, and has suffered 3 consecutive defeats.