Liverpool will be looking to preserve their 100% Champions League record when they welcome Villarreal to Anfield on Tuesday night.
The Reds are one of nine teams in the league phase to have taken maximum points from their opening two games, having beaten Atletico Madrid at home before claiming a thrilling 6-3 win away at LASK Linz last midweek.
While Andoni Iraola’s side have been less convincing in the Premier League, Saturday’s 2-1 win away at Brentford lifted them up to fifth in the table.
They will now look to carry that momentum into Europe and make it three Champions League wins on the spin when Villarreal visit Merseyside.
The Yellow Submarine have taken three points from their opening two Champions League games, bouncing back from a 3-2 defeat away at Borussia Dortmund with a 3-1 win over Napoli last week.
However, Inigo Perez’s side failed to build on that victory and were held to a 0-0 home draw by Elche in La Liga on Saturday, a stalemate that keeps them in midtable.
How the bookies view it: Reds to keep on rolling
Liverpool are heavy favourites to make it three Champions League wins on the bounce, with a home victory priced at 1/2 with bet365.
Villarreal are as big as 11/2 to leave Anfield with all three points, while the draw is also considered unlikely at 10/3 with bet365.
Head to head: Reds rule the roost
Liverpool hold the upper hand against Villarreal, having won three of their four meetings, while the Spaniards triumphed in the other. The sides last met in the 2022 Champions League semi-final, when Liverpool followed a 2-0 first-leg win at Anfield with a 3-2 victory in Spain to progress 5-2 on aggregate.
Players to watch: Barcola to bag?
Bradley Barcola has scored three goals and provided one assist across his eight appearances for Liverpool this season. The Frenchman fired in a hat-trick against LASK last week, so he looks decent value to register another goal involvement here at 8/11 with bet365.
Georges Mikautadze committed a foul in Villarreal’s win over Napoli last week, so the 4/5 with bet365 for him to do so again here looks worthy of support. The Georgian forward could find himself in a physical battle with Virgil van Dijk, who is adept at drawing fouls.
Predicted line-ups
Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremy Frimpong were both forced off during Liverpool’s win at Brentford at the weekend and are now major doubts for Tuesday night’s clash with Villarreal. Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are all confirmed absentees for the Reds.
Villarreal boss Perez rotated his squad at the weekend, but he is likely to revert to his strongest starting XI at Anfield. Nicolas Pepe and Tyler Buchanan are both expected to miss out for the visitors.
Liverpool: Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Munoz, Wirtz, Barcola; Isak
Villarreal: Gulacsi; Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Romero; Saliba, Comesana, Gueye, Moleiro; Moreno, Mikautadze
Anything else catch the eye?
These two teams have been among the most entertaining sides in the early stages of the league phase, and another high-scoring contest could be on the cards at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals is available at 10/11 with bet365, which looks worth siding with given that the combination has landed in all four of the pair's continental matches this term.
It would also have paid out in Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Brentford at the weekend and has clicked in six of Villarreal’s nine La Liga matches this season.
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