Sports Blog 28/04/2016: UEFA Europa League Semi-Final 1st Leg – Villarreal vs Liverpool, Thursday 28th April 2016

Can Liverpool continue their largely fraught, sporadically fantastic, Europa League run when they travel to Villarreal at 8.05pm on BT Sport Europe?

So far unbeaten throughout April, where a fairly punishing schedules saw the side play 7 games in 3 weeks, Liverpool find themselves on the precipice of their best European showing since that fateful night in Istanbul over a decade ago. They are also in with a fighting chance of securing a place in Europe by less impressive means, now only 1 point behind 6th place West Ham and 4 adrift of Manchester United in the Premier League. That gap would have been smaller if the Reds hadn’t given up their 2-0 lead against Newcastle last weekend, the Toon Army managing to nab a vital point under the guidance of Rafa Benitez, the man who last led Liverpool to European glory.



Villarreal, meanwhile, find themselves in a rather odd position this season. Sitting in 4th place in La Liga, with a 4 point gap between them and 5th place Celta Vigo, is undeniably impressive. Yet the feat becomes rather less remarkable when you consider the gulf between Villarreal and the Barcelona/Atletico Madrid/Real Madrid trifecta that sits above them, with a 20 point-plus gap separating El Submarino Amarillo and their title-chasing rivals. Their strength of their Europa League-run is less caveat-filled; since finishing 2nd to Rapid Vienna in Group E Villarrel have gone on to beat Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen and Sparta Prague with relative ease, setting up their first European semi-final since 2011.



Frustratingly for Liverpool Divock Origi, who ignited the comeback against Dortmund at Anfield (as well as nabbing the Reds’ opener in Germany) is out thanks to an injury incurred against Everton. Pressure will be on the likes of Daniel Sturridge (at a Super Mega PGM of 21-25) and Phillipe Countinho (the club’s top scorer with 12 goals and a Super Mega PGM spread of 15-19) to make up for the Belgian’s absence. Worryingly for Liverpool, especially given suspension the of Mamadou Sahko, Villarreal are the top scoring side in the competition with 22 goals, 9 of which having come from Cedric Bakambu, who heads into Thursday evening at a Super Mega PGM of 24-29.

The absence of Origi and Sakho, combined with the Spanish side’s free-scoring football, has seen Spreadex give the home side the advantage, at a Villarreal/Liverpool Goal Supremacy spread of 0-0.2 with a Total Goals spread of 2.25-2.45. However, Liverpool are more than familiar with overcoming their underdog-status, as Borussia Dortmund found out in the last round.

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