Liverpool vs Villarreal: Anfield fortress faces a Villarreal side desperate to end English curse

Villarreal face Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday in the third round of the Champions League group stage. The Spanish side arrive on a high after coming from behind to beat Napoli, but they step into a stadium and a statistical minefield: Liverpool have turned their home ground into a fortress against LaLiga clubs, with five straight wins, and this season they are averaging four goals per European match.

• Villarreal have lost their last six UEFA away games, conceding 16 goals in the process.
• Liverpool have won both of their Champions League matches and five in a row against Spanish teams.
• Iraola will be without Frimpong and Szoboszlai after both picked up weekend injuries.
• The Villarreal coach is set to field a three-man defensive midfield and recalls Gerard and Mikautadze.

Villarreal's defence faces its toughest Anfield test

A huge part of Villarreal's hopes rest on keeping things tight at the back. Iñigo's side are stuck in a worrying run away from home in UEFA competitions: six consecutive defeats and nearly three goals conceded per match. On top of that, Villarreal have not won in England since the 2005/06 season, with three draws and seven defeats in ten trips since then.

Iñigo knows the plan must be about staying compact and giving little space behind the full-backs. In Dortmund, despite losing to Borussia, the team already showed a more competitive edge than in previous years, and the comeback against Napoli reinforced the idea that this Villarreal can go toe-to-toe with anyone if they keep their focus in defence.

Liverpool, a relentless force against Spanish opposition

Liverpool's home numbers against LaLiga sides are intimidating. Five straight wins and a growing sense of superiority in recent seasons. Last year, Anfield was a cauldron for nearly every visitor until PSG stopped the Merseyside club in the quarter-finals. Before that, only PSV claimed a headline result, winning 4-1 in a match where Liverpool had nothing left to play for.

In this Champions League campaign, Iraola's Liverpool have two wins from two: 2-1 against Atlético Madrid and a 6-3 rout away to LASK. Their attacking firepower is the main weapon of a team still searching for consistency in the Premier League, where they needed a comeback against Brentford (2-1) to keep the alarm bells from ringing.

Iñigo's plan: steel in midfield and flair up front

Villarreal will line up with a defensive-minded midfield, a three-man screen similar to the one used at the Signal Iduna Park. The aim is to close the inside channels against a high-tempo Liverpool side and trust the quality of the front three to punish whatever space the Reds' full-backs leave behind. The Yellow Submarine also need more clinical finishing than they have shown in recent league outings.

Plenty of changes are expected from the team that drew with Elche. Pau Navarro, Veiga, Gueye, Foyth, Saliba, Gerard and Mikautadze all return to the starting plan. The message in the dressing room is clear: no complicated maths about qualification. If they have to play at Anfield, they go there to win, a direct instruction from Iñigo to his players to avoid the mistakes of previous seasons.

Injuries force Iraola to improvise at right-back

Liverpool head into the match with a long injury list. Jeremy Frimpong and Dom Szoboszlai picked up knocks last weekend and join Hugo Ekitiké, Conor Bradley, Vítězslav Jaroš and Giovanni Leoni on the sidelines. Defence is the hardest-hit area: without Frimpong and Bradley, Iraola must improvise at right-back.

Former Barcelona man Ronald Araújo looks the most likely option to fill that slot. His versatility and experience in high-pressure matches make him the natural candidate for a back line that needs to stay solid against a Villarreal side ready to compete for every ball.

What is at stake for Liverpool and Villarreal

Liverpool lead their group with a perfect record, and another win would leave them with one foot in the round of 16. For Villarreal, the mission is to take points from a ground that has been historically cursed for Spanish clubs and stay alive in the battle for the top two places. The Yellow Submarine do not want to repeat the nightmare of last season's Champions League, when they failed to win a single match.

The game also measures the progress of two projects at very different moments. Iraola's side are established among the elite but still have doubts in the Premier League. Iñigo's team are rebuilding a competitive identity that flickered in Dortmund and exploded against Napoli. Anfield will deliver the verdict.