Liverpool vs. Villarreal 4/27/22 UEFA Champions League Soccer Pick, Predictions, and Odds
Liverpool vs. Villarreal
April 27, 2022 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Over 2.5 -163, Under 2.5 +130
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Liverpool is welcoming Villarreal to Anfield in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals. Liverpool is not stopping, they are winning games, they are solid defensively, and they are scoring a lot of goals. Villarreal has been impressive in Europe this season, they are solid on both ends, but they are not doing that well in LaLiga, at least not as well as they would want to be.
Liverpool is now on a 3-game winning streak, but they are undefeated since early March when they lost to Inter. In their latest EPL game, Liverpool was playing against Everton in the Merseyside derby, and even though it took them a while, they have scored 2 goals in the second half, and they have deservedly won that match 2-0. In their last 2 games, Liverpool has kept 2 clean sheets, and they are still playing catchup with Manchester City. In the attacking end, Liverpool has scored 85 goals so far this season in the EPL, while their defense has also been amazing with 22 conceded goals. With 8 goals, Salah is the leading goalscorer for Liverpool in the Champions League, while Firmino has added 5 goals. There are no injuries or suspensions in Liverpool as of right now. Apart from City, Liverpool is the favorite to win the Champions League, but it will be hard.
Villarreal has been playing really well as of late, they are undefeated in their last 5 games, while they have 3 wins in those 5 games. In LaLiga, Villarreal is in 7th place with 52 points, which is the Conference League spot, but they are still close to the Europa League spot. I think Villarreal has done a solid job in the attacking end, but their defense was even more impressive with 31 conceded goals in 33 games. Villarreal has done something no one expected in the quarterfinals, they have knocked out mighty Bayern Munich, and who’s to say they can’t do the same to Liverpool. Danjuma is the leading goalscorer for Villarreal with 6 scored goals so far in the Champions League, while Moreno has added 4 assists. Alberto Moreno is now the only injured player for Villarreal. I think this was a fantastic season for Villarreal, at least in Europe, but the slow start they have had in LaLiga has probably cost them a spot in the Champions League for next.
Villarreal keeps proving they can fight with the big dogs, and they have knocked out a few of them along the way. This will be a fantastic match, I think it will be fairly open, and for that reason, I think we will see goals.