Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool not to expect Villarreal to roll over in the Europa League semi-final.
The German told his pre-match Press conference that though the Yellow Submarine may be from a small location, their achievements are on par with any team, with Klopp’s opposite number Marcelino having accepted the Reds are favourites, but insisting his side aren’t inferior.
“What Villarreal have shown each week, being fourth in the Spanish League, is the highest level of football,” Klopp said, the Guardian reports.
“They are unbelievably strong with really good balance. Really good structure in their game – good defending, very disciplined, good counterattacks. If you let them, they play football, they have everything you need to be a good team.
“They’re a good club in a small city in Spain. They have made a lot of good decisions to be here. And we should not hope that they will only make wrong decisions. We have to be prepared for our best game and that’s what we will try to do.
“We saw Villarreal maybe six times. To play against them is really special. They are really confident in the things they do. They defend in an organised way. They are patient enough to wait for your mistakes, then using these mistakes. We have to play the game Villarreal don’t like. That is what we have to do.”
