Luke Reddy
BBC Sport at Anfield

What would Shankly make of all of this?

Four trophies in a season perhaps. “A bastion of invincibility” was his dream for Liverpool. Few would argue his personality and determination don’t pour out of this team. Can they live up to his wishes?

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

With an unprecedented quadruple still a possibility for Liverpool going into their Champions League semi-final against Villarreal, BBC Sport's Nesta McGregor joins The Football News Show to preview the first leg.

Chris Pajak from The Redmen TV also tells the show how Liverpool must win four trophies this season to be considered a great team alongside the likes of Arsenal's Invincibles.

Image source, Getty Images

Klopp lost to Villarreal manager Unai Emery, who was in charge of Sevilla at the time, in the 2015-16 Europa League final during his first season at Liverpool.

But Liverpool reached the first of back-to-back Champions League finals two years later and won the competition in 2019.

Klopp said the Europa League loss was "tough" to take but was important in Liverpool's journey to success.

"I haven't thought about that for a while. It was important. I said that night, I thought we'd come back from that moment stronger and we did," he said.

"That night was a tough one to take. It was game number 64 of that season, a tough season. We can not really compare football games."

Henderson was on the bench as Sevilla came from behind to beat Liverpool 3-1 in Basel.

"That night always sticks out for me because after the game, going back to the hotel, all the lads were disappointed and you just wanted to go back to your room and get your head down," he said.

"The gaffer was a bit different to what you'd expect. He had everyone down in the bar area. I felt he knew that this was the start of something special to come.

"It was very difficult to think that then, having just lost a final, but I always felt he knew what was coming in the next few years. He has proven that was the beginning of something special."

Mark Lawrenson
BBC football expert on Radio 5 Live

There's massive expectancy on Liverpool but can you imagine Jurgen Klopp telling his players this will be easy tonight, it will be the opposite. I think he's picked his best team tonight, the only argument being whether he should pick Joel Matip over Ibrahima Konate.

They're going so well - they're in a fantastic position and have been quite fortunate to not have any long term injuries at this point in the season and you've almost got two players for every single position. It's the best squad he's ever had so it's head down and get on with it and it has to be treated that way.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at Anfield

Villarreal are known as "The Yellow Submarine" and their colours are splashed all over their corner of the Anfield Road end. Their supporters have been a colourful, noisy presence around the city all day.

They are underdogs tonight but no-one should estimate the European maestro Unai Emery after Villarreal's brilliant elimination of Juventus and Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League semi-final.

Luke Reddy
BBC Sport at Anfield

Image source, BBC Sport

Much has changed in these parts.

New houses stand where once there were rows of old terraced dwellings and businesses line up to attach themselves to a club capable of drawing in punters.

They sip under King Kenny’s mural. They pose for photos next to Alan Kennedy.

Both men tasted European Cup glory and had the honour of notching a winner in a final. One goal, a lifetime of legend.

This current crop of Liverpool players are making their own mark. They don’t need to go far to see what it all means. It is literally on display on the streets that surround them. Which player gets painted next?

Villarreal manager Unai Emery says this is "the best Liverpool that I have known" - but that he will use that as motivation to succeed in their Champions League semi-final.

The two teams meet in the first leg on Wednesday.

"They have a very clear identity at Anfield," said Emery.

"It's Liverpool, I think it's the best Liverpool that I have known, but I take that as motivation to play the perfect game and to beat Liverpool at their best."

Emery faced Liverpool twice at Anfield when he was Arsenal manager and lost both times, 5-1 and 3-1.

But Villarreal take on the Reds full of confidence, having knocked out Juventus in the last 16 and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

"Liverpool know that we are here because we have been able to compete," continued Emery. "For us, that means the challenge is greater.

"We're playing the favourites but we want to be us and to play on the front foot," he said.

"The journey does not have to end, we want to be in charge, to create chances.

"In normal conditions they are superior to us, but we have our own ideas, individually and as a team, to allow us to compete."

How about this for an impressive Emery stat...

Since the start of the 2009-10 season, the inaugural Europa League campaign, Emery has progressed from 84% of his Europa League/Champions League knockout ties (31/37).

This is the second-best ratio of any manager to have taken charge of at least 10, after only Zinedine Zidane (14/16 – 88%), who is a three-time Champions League winner as a manager.

No wonder Jurgen Klopp referred to him recently as a "cup king".

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's Samuel Chukwueze is finally flying again with Spanish club Villarreal after an injury-hit spell, and is looking to cause another upset after downing one of Europe's elite.

Full of pace, skill and possessing a majestic left foot, the winger is the latest African talent to catch the eye in the Champions League.

Earlier this month the 22-year-old scored a late winner as Villarreal stunned Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals of the continent's premier club competition for the first time in 16 years.

Now he has his sights set on another member of the elite as the Yellow Submarine face six-time European champions Liverpool in the semi-finals.

"We know all about Liverpool and they are expected to win, so the pressure is on them," Chukwueze told BBC Sport Africa before Wednesday's first leg.

"We have a squad and manager good enough to compete against any team in the world. Because of the way Liverpool play some people have already made their own predictions but that is normal in football.

"We have a job to do and we are not going to Liverpool to lose. Why not aim for the best result over there? And that is what we hope to do."

Read more of this story here.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Liverpool and Villareal full-back Jose Enrique says the Reds are rightly considered favourites in their Champions League semi-final - but has warned of the danger of writing off their Spanish opponents.

Speaking on Sportsworld, Enrique said: "Villareal are the underdogs, but look at what happened to Bayern, look what happened to Juventus as well.

"They have a very strong line-up and have a very good team.

"Also, Unai Emery knows what he's doing. He's going to play with caution, counter-attacking football, and use Arnaut Danjuma and Samuel Chukwueze - who are very fast - to try and exploit the space.

"He won't try to go 50-50 against Liverpool at Anfield."

Despite the strengths of Villareal, Enrique says he hopes it is Liverpool's season and would love them to win the quadruple.

"They want to make history," he said. "Why wouldn't you try and get all four trophies?

"It's nearly impossible, but I hope Liverpool do it."

Karen Carney
Former Chelsea midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

I think Jurgen Klopp will be looking at who's fresh, the amount of games Liverpool have, managers can plan all they want but sometimes it does just come down to who is fresh.

Klopp favours Imrahima Konate's relationship with Virgil van Dijk in the Champions League and the midfield is the one I expected with Fabinho, Thiago and Jordan Henderson.

Image source, Getty Images

If all you knew of Unai Emery was his disappointing spell as Arsenal boss from 2018 to 2019 or his European struggles at Paris St-Germain prior to that, you might wonder what all the fuss was about.

But the 50-year-old has a stellar reputation in his native Spain, courtesy of his fine work with Valencia, Sevilla and now Villarreal.

It was with the second of those three that he truly earned his 'cup king' tag, leading them to three successive Europa League titles between 2014 and 2016. He added a fourth victory in the competition with his current club last season to earn them a Champions League spot.

"The right man at the right place - he is doing a great job," was European football correspondent Kristof Terreur's summary on the BBC's Euro Leagues podcast. "He is an ideal manager for an underdog side. You won't name star players at Villarreal but he builds teams.

"People laugh at him because of what happens at PSG and Arsenal but maybe he just didn't get time. He is a brilliant coach."

This season under him, the 'Yellow Submarine' are responsible for ruthlessly and efficiently sinking two of Europe's giants, beating two-time European champions Juventus in the last 16 and, even more impressively, six-time winners Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Liverpool are the latest European giant in their sights.

European football expert Guillem Balague said: "Villarreal are from a village of 50,000 people but have the fourth-biggest wage bill in Spain. We shouldn't be surprised they are succeeding.

"But it is the semi - you don't get there by chance. Yes, Villarreal have a chance."

Image source, Getty Images

Villarreal have already achieved something very special in this season's Champions League, putting two of the continents giants on their behind.

Having finished second in their group behind Manchester United (so they've already had some clocked in some north-west-of-England experience this season) they were expected to knocked out by Juventus in the last 16. Wrong. They were then certain to get taught a lesson by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. Nope.

Having drawn 1-1 with Juve in Spain, a late show in Italy saw them score three times to leave the Old Lady reeling.

They edged the first leg against Bayern 1-0 at home and then, against all odds, nicked the tie with a late goal to draw 1-1 in Germany.

Much as City found out last night with Real Madrid, the Spanish side has some serious backbone.

Plenty of familiar names in the Villarreal XI. Most of them having underwhelmed in the Premier League, most of them in north London. Arnaut Danjuma, Etienne Capoue, Francis Coquelin, Juan Foyth, Giovani Lo Celso. And then there's boss Unai Emery.

It's fair to say they're doing pretty well now.

Klopp says Liverpool will not underestimate Spain's Villarreal, who knocked out Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals and Juventus in the last 16.

"We face a very difficult opponent. They are made for the competition, the way they set-up is really good," the German said.

"There might have been a little advantage in their last two games where Juventus or maybe Bayern Munich might have underestimated them - but that will never happen to us, especially after these four games, there's no chance anymore.

"They are a really good football team who obviously want to be a part of the final but it's the same importance for us."

Villarreal come into this game unbeaten in their last five games, winning at Getafe (2-1) and at home to Valencia (2-0) since the quarter-final second-leg draw at Bayern Munich.

The Yellow Submarine had lost three of their five matches prior to that, winning the other two, before their current unbeaten run.

The win at Getafe was only Villarreal's ninth in 24 away matches in all competitions this season (D6), losing nine including five of the last ten. Three of those nine away wins have come in the Champions League.

They are currently seventh in La Liga, making victory in this season's Champions League their only likely route back into it next year.

Liverpool make three changes from the win over Everton.

Captain Jordan Henderson, defender Ibrahima Konate and forward Luis Diaz replace Naby Keita, Joel Matip and Diogo Jota.

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk,Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Salah, Mane, Diaz. Subs:Milner, Keita, Gomez, Adrian, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino,Jota, Origi, Matip, Kelleher, Elliott, Williams.

Image source, .

Also three changes for Villarreal.

Pau Torres, Francis Coquelin and Samuel Chukwueze replace Aissa Mandi, Manu Trigueros and the injured Yeremi Pino.

Villarreal: Rulli, Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Estupinan, Chukwueze,Parejo, Capoue, Coquelin, Lo Celso, Danjuma. Subs:Sergio Asenjo, Mario, Alcacer, Iborra, Trigueros, Dia, Pena,Mandi, Moi Gomez, Pedraza, Aurier, Jorgensen.

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