Liverpool and Villarreal have met before, in the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2016, Liverpool won on that occasion (3-1 on aggregate) but how have Villarreal improved since then?
Villarreal have improved a lot. They have finally broken the barrier of the semi-finals, they've played two finals and won their first title. In Belfast [Super Cup final vs Chelsea], they only fell on penalties. They've returned to the Champions League and eliminated Atalanta, Juventus on their turf and Bayern at the Allianz.
They have a wonderful coach. He has a squad where most of the players have played for their national team and he has spent a huge amount on Arnaut Danjuma, when most of the teams in La Liga have spent almost nothing.
