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Along with the Premier League victory and the FA Cup final, Liverpool are also trying to reach the final act of the Champions League, a competition they won three years ago. Klopp’s side won 2-0 in the first leg against Villareal thanks to Estupinan’s own goal and Sadio Mane’s double, thus setting foot in Paris. Klopp’s team comes from an infinite positive streak: the matches without consecutive defeats are no longer counted for a team that appears perfect in all departments. Excellent responses also came from the defense, given that with the trip to Newcastle, the official matches for the Reds have risen to 4 without conceding a goal.
When Villareal plays at de la Ceramica, their fans will be dragging them to try and get the team to come back. The Spaniards are also in the running for a place in the Champions League in La Liga, and the knockout against Alaves has complicated things, but now the focus is all on this historic match. Unai Emery is a specialist in reaching the European finals, and the “yellow submarine” also relies on their experience for the feat, even if the path taken so far is enough to speak of a miracle.
Form Guide
Villarreal DDWWLL
Villarreal wants to avoid a repeat of their last game, which ended in a 2-1 loss to Alaves in La Liga.
Villarreal had 67 percent of the possession in the game and had 16 shots on goal, six of which were on target. Samuel Chukwueze scored the winning goal for Villarreal in the 47th minute. Alaves had a total of 11 shots on goal, with 5 of them going in. Alaves had goals from Laguardia (4′) and Gonzalo Escalante (31′) in the first half.
Villarreal have conceded just a few times in recent years, and that is a rarity. It will be a source of worry for them because Villarreal’s defense has been broken in 5 of their previous 6 games, resulting in the loss of 7 goals during that period. But, even so, we must now wait and see whether or not this pattern will continue in this particular game.
Liverpool DWWWWW
Following a 0-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League in their last game, Liverpool will go into the game on a high note.
Liverpool had 65 percent of the ball at the time of the game and had 24 shots on goal, with 10 of them going in. Naby Keta scored the winning goal for Liverpool in the 19th minute. Newcastle United, on the other hand, had four efforts on goal, with two of them finding the net.
Liverpool have scored 15 goals in their previous half-dozen matches, putting them in first place in the Premier League. On each of those occasions, Liverpool have also scored a goal as well. During that time span, they have been the victims of five goals scored by their adversaries.
Villarreal: (Alberto Moreno)
Liverpool: (Roberto Firmino).
Villarreal Predicted XI: Rulli, Lo Celso, Albiol, Mandi, Estupiñán, Foyth, Parejo, Trigueros, Capoue, Groeneveld, Pino.
Liverpool Predicted XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Henderson, Fabinho, Alcantara, Salah, Mané, Díaz.
It remains to be seen whether Villareal will create the conditions to rebalance the challenge, but regardless of this, it is very likely to expect a blocked game. Since the Liverpool rearguard is almost unbeatable and since the Reds do not need to win, it is possible to hypothesize a match with few chances: As a result, we expect a close game that will end with a 0-2 win for Liverpool after 90 minutes of play.
After the pyrotechnic 4-3 of the first leg in favor of Guardiola’s team, Real Madrid and Manchester City meet a week later for the return of the Champions League semi-finals. The Etihad challenge was considered by many to be one of the most beautiful of the year, and there are all the prerequisites for seeing a great show at the Bernabeu too. Los Blancos withstood the siege of the English and came out with a reversible result, thanks to the usual Benzema and the quality of Vinicius. Lately, there have been some defensive problems for Ancelotti’s team, who have conceded goals in 4 of the last 5 outings, including 7 in the last two outings in the Champions League.
After the great performance of the first leg, City are also conceding something too much, which means they cannot be satisfied with reaching this match with a single goal advantage. The negligence of the defense did not allow us to see the results of the difference shown on the pitch against Los Blancos last week, and now the risks are there. It should also be considered, however, that the Citizens have not lost away from home in 13 consecutive games, which is a very encouraging figure and gives hope of reaching the final in Paris.
Real Madrid WLWWLW
Real Madrid supporters will be hoping for a repeat of their team’s last performance, which was a 4-0 La Liga victory against Espanyol.
Real Madrid had 58 percent of the ball in the game and 11 shots on goal, five of which were on goal. Goals by Rodrygo Goes (33 and 43 minutes), Marco Asensio (55 minutes), and Karim Benzema (81 minutes) secured a victory for Real Madrid. Espanyol had a total of 20 shots on goal, with six of them finding the target.
In each of the last six matches in which Real Madrid has played, at least three goals have been scored. During this time frame, opposing teams scored ten goals, while Real Madrid scored seventeen.
Manchester City DLWWWW
Following an 0-4 Premier League victory over Leeds United in their last game, Manchester City comes into this match with high hopes for the future.
Manchester City had 60 percent of the ball at the time of the match and had 19 shots on goal, six of which were on target. Rodri scored in a 4-0 win over Southampton. (13′), Nathan Aké (54′), Gabriel Jesus (78′), and Fernandinho (90′) scored goals for Manchester City. Leeds United, their opponents, had seven efforts on goal, with two of them being on target.
Having emphasized their forward play in recent weeks, Manchester City have scored an excess of goals in their six most recent meetings with their opponents (18 to be exact). In terms of goals scored each match, this corresponds to an alarming mean average of three goals per match over this period.
Real Madrid: (David Alaba, Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic)
Manchester City: clean bill of health and no suspension concerns
Real Madrid Predicted XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Militão, Nacho, Marcelo, Modric, Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde, Benzema, Vinícius Júnior.
Manchester City Predicted XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Rodri, Silva, Mahrez, Jesus, Raheem Sterling.
The two leaders in La Liga and in the Premier League face off in a match not to be missed. With the sparks of the first leg, and seven goals overall, it is conceivable that we will see some good ones this time too. Even the last results of the two formations go in this direction.
While we believe that Real Madrid should be favored to score against this Manchester City side in this match, we believe that a single goal will not be enough to give them the victory that they want.
As a result, we expect a tight game, with Manchester City prevailing by a 1-2 score at the end of the match.