Villarreal defender Alberto Moreno has admitted that his side will have to “suffer” if they are to overcome his former club Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final showdowns.
Moreno will not be fit to face the Reds having suffered a knee ligament injury last month but his absence did not stop Unai Emery’s men from navigating past both Juventus and Bayern Munich to become one of the final four teams left in the competition.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has already insisted his side will not underestimate Villarreal in the same way as the Yellow Submarine’s past opponents. And having played for the Reds under Klopp, Moreno is all too aware that the La Liga outfit will face a sizeable task when they line up against the Premier League high flyers at Anfieild in the first leg on Wednesday.
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"If you want to win against these teams you have to suffer," Moreno told Marca . "You're not going to beat one of these teams to the face, it's impossible.
“You have to suffer and we know how to suffer. And Villarreal has a virtue, that we all know how to suffer together as a team, but then we also know how to play football because there are players in this squad of spectacular quality.
"That explains the way we are doing. Because when we have to suffer against big teams, we suffer. And we know how to do it. And then with the ball the big teams suffer against us. They are aware of that."
Villarreal have defied their current league position to end up just one step away from the club’s first-ever Champions League final. The Yellow Submarine are seventh in La Liga, having prioritised their European exploits.
Moreno has warned Liverpool that many of the club’s squad have already experienced the Anfield atmosphere, having previously played in the Premier League. However, the 29-year-old conceded that playing on Merseyside is still a daunting prospect.
“Yes, for me personally yes," the full-back said, when asked if playing at Anfield was a tougher challenge than Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena. "And I don't want any conflict or anything. But many of Villarreal's players have already played at Anfield and they know what it's like.
“It is a point in our favour. We already know what that is and that we must try not to listen to anything. Dedicate yourself to playing football and that's it."
