Liverpool travel to Spain for the second leg of the Champions League semifinal on Tuesday. The Reds won the first leg 2-0 over Villarreal at Anfield, and now hope to keep the advantage on the road.
Liverpool topped Newcastle 1-0 in their league game Saturday. Villarreal lost 2-1 to Alaves, but made nine changes from their squad in the first leg.
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Injury News
Roberto Firmino is still out with a foot issue suffered in the FA Cup semifinal. Firmino is running and training by himself, but has yet to rejoin the full squad.
Divock Origi is back with the squad after missing Saturdayโs game with a stomach bug. No one else is out as of Monday.
Tie Not Over
There was some questions at Mondayโs press conference asking Jurgen Klopp if he felt the tie was over being up 2-0. He quickly shot down those questions, knowing the tough task that lie ahead.
โWhen I was younger I would have been really angry now, because of that question,โ Klopp said. โIt will be a tough one. A Champions League semifinal should be tough. It wonโt be easy, and we donโt expect it to be easy.โ
Liverpool has jumped out to leads in the first legs of the previous two knock-out rounds, but havenโt faired as well in the second legs – losing 1-0 to Inter and drawing Benfica 3-3. Those games were both at home, and Klopp knows Tuesday will be a different battle at Villarreal, who are seeking their first Champions League final.
โThey will go for us,โ Klopp said. โThey will try to play more football than we allowed them in the first game. Unai (Emery) will try to adapt a few things to our style. It will be really interesting.โ
Betting Odds
Liverpool are -140 favorites to win Tuesdayโs leg, with Villarreal receiving +370 odds on a win. The odds of a draw are +300. Heading into the first leg, Liverpool are -10000 to advance, and Benfica come in at +1500.
