Liverpool are one tie away from their third Champions League final in five seasons but will face tough Spanish opposition in the semi-finals – Unai Emery’s Villarreal.
Victories over Internazionale and Benfica have seen Jurgen Klopp’s side move imperiously through the competition and they’ll be heavy favourites to make next month’s finale in Paris.
But Villarreal are no mugs. Emery is an expert in European competitions and the Spanish underdogs have eliminated Juventus and Bayern Munich from this season’s competition.
Six European crowns will never be enough for Liverpool and you can bet they will put everything into winning a seventh this time around. But, as things stand under Klopp, Liverpool are trailing 4-2 to Spanish clubs in knockout European football.
We take a look back at their previous European knockout clashes with Spanish sides under the guidance of Klopp…
Real Madrid (UCL QF, 2020-21)
The most recent and, arguably, the most forgettable encounter between Liverpool and Spanish opposition occurred a year ago in Madrid’s empty training ground.
Liverpool had undergone months of domestic woe and carried that form over to the Spanish capital. A sloppy error from Trent Alexander-Arnold and some sharp finishing from Vinicius Junior gave Madrid a 3-1 victory in the first leg.
Afterwards, Klopp said: “We just didn’t play good enough football to cause Real Madrid more problems. We made it too easy for them.
“The only good thing I can say, apart from [Mohamed Salah’s] goal, is it’s only the first half of the tie. We didn’t deserve a lot more but that one goal and the second half was OK. It gives us a lifeline.”
That lifeline was not seized as the return encounter ended goalless.
Atletico Madrid (UCL last-16, 2019-20)
A tie that has become infamous for all the wrong reasons, given its proximity to the pandemic.
Nevertheless, following Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 home win, the second leg of the tie was a typically dramatic Anfield…
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