Champions League: why there could be goals in Villarreal vs Liverpool

Reds favourites for final

After victory at Newcastle kept their Premier League title bid on track, Liverpool are back on European duty aiming to finish the job against Villarreal. 

As they head to Spain to contest the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie, Liverpool are strong favourites to progress to yet another final.

The Reds were dominant en route to a 2-0 success at Anfield when the sides met last week, scoring both their goals in a two-minute second-half flurry while restricting Villarreal to just a single shot across the 90 minutes.

Paris beckons

That victory was one of 22 claimed from 28 games in all competitions since the turn of the year, with the remaining fixtures returning five draws and just a solitary defeat. As such, Reds supporters are sure to be confident that it is their team who will have booked a trip to Paris by full-time on Tuesday evening.

With a two-goal aggregate lead in place, the Reds know that a clean sheet will be enough to take them to the final. A 1-0 win at Newcastle on Saturday made it four successive shutouts for Klopp’s men, and they are 2.68 to make it five on the bounce by keeping Villarreal at bay in Spain.

As for the hosts, they relied on a defensive approach in the first game but will surely have to open up in the return leg as they look for a way back into the tie.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has helped his side keep four consecutive clean sheets

Villarreal need to attack

Unai Emery’s side have scored in four of their five Champions League home fixtures so far this season and will need to do so again here to have any chance of progressing. 

Of course, attacking ambition may come at a cost against a ruthless Liverpool outfit, and so 1.71 on both teams to score could be a sensible bet.

Revitalised by a recent move to centre-forward, Sadio Mane has scored six goals in his nine outings for Liverpool since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations. The Senegalese got on the scoresheet in the first leg and is 2.42 to repeat the trick in the second leg and help fire the Reds into the Champions League final.

Recommended bets

Both teams to score @ 1.71

Sadio Mane anytime @ 2.42