Liverpool vs Villarreal: The Reds will shift their focus to the UEFA Champions League piece of the quadruple puzzle when they host Villarreal at Anfield on Wednesday (kick off, 3pm ET).
[ MORE: Champions League picks, odds ]
The League Cup is already in the bag; Liverpool are also already through to the FA Cup final; they trail Manchester City by one point in the Premier League title race; and now, they’re one of four sides remaining, along with Man City and Real Madrid in the other semifinal, in the Champions League. One of Liverpool’s greatest strengths lies in their incredible depth — most notably among the front-three — with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz both clamoring for a starting spot alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, as will likely be the case again on Wednesday. The margin for error is razor thin when you’re chasing four trophies in one season, to the point that the not defeat — or draw, even — could spell the end.
Villarreal have proven themselves against giants twice already, knocking out Juventus in the round of 16 and taking down mighty Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. Forward Arnaut Danjuma has led the way with six goals in 10 Champions League games this season. The Dutchman has another 10 in La Liga action, where Gerardo Moreno, the hero en route to last season’s Europa League triumph, has nine. Unai Emery is no stranger to the latter stages of European competition, after winning the Europa League three times (in a row) at Sevilla and once already at Villarreal.
Here’s everything you need to know before Liverpool vs Villarreal goes live.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
How to watch Liverpool vs Villarreal live, stream link, and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET, Wednesday (April 27)
Online: Live updates via NBCSports.com
How to watch: TUDN, Paramount+
Liverpool vs Villarreal live updates
FT’ -- Just complete dominance from Liverpool, who will only rue not scoring a third goal. Here’s a full recap, stats, Man of the Match, and three things we learned.
68' -- Villarreal have made changes but Liverpool is still in charge, and now Virgil van Dijk has torn into a shot from well outside the box that is almost too hot for Rulli to handle (and definitely too hot to be handled cleanly).
55' -- AVALANCHE. It’s two-nil as Mane is slipped inside the box by Mohamed Salah and it’s a one-touch poke past Rulli for 2-0 LIVERPOOL.
53' -- THIS ONE WILL COUNT! Moments after Luis Diaz hits a header right to Rulli, Jordan Henderson’s deflected cross catches an already-committed Rulli moving away from goal, and the keeper can only slap the ball inside his far post. 1-0 LIVERPOOL.
¡Gooooool del Liverpool! ✨⚽️
— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) April 27, 2022
¡Gooooool del Liverpool! ✨⚽️
¡Gooooool del Liverpool! ✨⚽️
🏴@LFC 1-0 @VillarrealCF 🇪🇸
EN VIVO 🔴 https://t.co/1rBuup3GHj #TuChampions #UCL pic.twitter.com/IGDY5wytFl
50' -- OFFSIDE GOAL! Fabinho has the ball in the goal but Virgil van Dijk was a quarter-yard offside when he flicked the a cross into the path of the Brazilian. The flag was up and the goal won’t count.
HT -- That Thiago chance was the only thing of note, as Liverpool had 67 percent of the ball but put only two of its 12 shots attempts on target. Villarreal only managed one shot, off-target, as it’s stayed 0-0.
42' -- Off the bar! Thiago Alcantara gets sick of the waiting and tears into a shot from distance, sending Geronimo Rulli through the air to see the ball clip the far post. Closest we’ve come so far.
20' -- A slow start and not much to it, but all Liverpool. This is almost exactly what Everton tried to do to Liverpool at the weekend.
3pm ET -- And we’re off!! The players take the knee and we’re underway with Liverpool kicking off and sending the ball deep into Villarreal territory, heading out for a corner. Can Villarreal put its imprint on the game with the hosts almost alwats on the front foot.
Liverpool team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: Roberto Firmino (ankle)
⭐ TEAM NEWS ⭐
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 27, 2022
How we line-up for tonight’s #UCL semi-final! 👊#LIVVIL
Villarreal team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: Alberto Moreno (knee)
Here are the 1️⃣1️⃣ Yellows who will line up against @LFC.#UCL pic.twitter.com/0Jz2cNDTal
— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) April 27, 2022
Liverpool vs Villarreal odds (full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)
Liverpool (-375) | Villarreal (+1000) | Draw (+460)
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