Liverpool vs Villarreal: What do we know about the Reds' Europa League opponents?

Liverpool and Villarreal will meet for the first time in European competition with a place in the Europa League final on the line

Villarreal players celebrate beating Sparta Prague to reach the Europa League semi-finals (Getty)

Liverpool are just three matches away from ending what appeared to be a terrible season with silverware and possible Champions League qualification, but they will need to overcome Villarreal in the Europa League semi-finals following the draw for the last four of the competition.

Jurgen Klopp masterminded a 5-4 comeback victory over his former side Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals when Liverpool’s season appeared to be on the verge of collapsing, having already dropped out of the FA Cup and Premier League top-four race as well as suffering defeat in the Capital One Cup final.

But Klopp’s arrival, along with the availability of a place in next season’s Champions League, has prompted a surge in Liverpool’s interest in the tournament and the atmosphere at Anfield on Thursday was one of the most heated and emotional ever seen at the famous stadium.

So what do we know about their next opponents in Villarreal?

Based in the province of Castellon just north of Valencia, Villarreal can be considered as the ‘best of the rest’ in La Liga this season as they look nailed on for fourth place in the league and entry to the Champions League play-offs, should they not win the Europa League.

They trail leaders Barcelona by 16 points and third-placed Real Madrid by 12 points, but with an eight-point buffer over fifth-placed Celta Vigo they look certain to finish in the top four in what is proving to be a very successful season.

Who is their manager?

Marcelino Gardia Toral, more commonly known by his first name alone, made his name with Sporting Gijon during his playing career as he amassed 203 La Liga appearances as a midfielder before retiring to the dug-out, where he embarked on a managerial career with the same side.

Marcelino also managed another former team in Racing Santander during two spells in 2007-08 and 2011 that sandwiched a stint at Real Zaragoze in which became the highest-paid manager in Spain after rejecting Valencia’s approach.

Following his second spell at Racing, Marcelino moved on to Sevilla, but lasted just six months before being sacked.

Former Spanish midfielder Marcelino manages Villarreal (Getty)

Who are their key players?

Midfielder Denis Suarez has proven a shrewd addition from Barcelona having emerged as an integral part of Villarreal’s midfield, while striker Cedric Bakambu will need to be marked out of the game given his 12 La Liga goals for Villarreal and 22 in all competitions.

On-loan striker Leo Baptistao made a strong start to his spell at the Estadio El Madrigal from Atletico Madrid, but his form has tailed off of late and he has just one goal to his name in his last 19 appearances. That said, the 23-year-old remains a dangerous finished and can certainly threaten Liverpool’s unstable defence.

Cedric Bakambu will pose Liverpool's defence problems (Getty)

However, it is their strength in defence where Villarreal excel having conceded fewer goals than both Real Madrid and Barcelona, with only Atletico having a better defence in La Liga. In Victor Ruiz and Mario, they have two defenders in their mid-20s that have proven among the best in the league and give El Submarino Amarillo (which translates to The Yellow Submarine) a firm platform to build their team around in the coming years.

What is their European pedigree?

Their best season in Europe was actually their first as they reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, only to fall victim to Arsenal in a 1-0 aggregate defeat. Coincidentally, their only other run in the Champions League was also ended by the Gunners in 2008/09, while they reached the Europa League semi-finals in 2010/11 only to lose once again to Porto.