Liverpool vs. Villarreal 1st Leg Odds, Prediction & Tips

The second of two Champions League semi-finals will be played on Wednesday evening at a packed Anfield Stadium as Liverpool welcome Villarreal to Merseyside.

Liverpool vs. Villarreal UEFA Champions League Semifinal 1st Leg Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Liverpool (2nd in English Premier League) vs. Villarreal (7th in La Liga)
• Venue & Location: Anfield Stadium (Liverpool, England)
• Date: Wednesday, April 27, 2022
• Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern time (8:00 p.m. local time)
• How to Watch Liverpool vs. Villarreal in the U.S.: CBS

Liverpool vs. Villarreal Betting Odds

Odds are via Bovada Sportsbook.

Moneyline Odds

• Liverpool to win: -325
• Draw: +440
• Villarreal to win: +900

Over/Under Odds

• OVER 2.5 Goals: -160
• UNDER 2.5 Goals: +130

The midweek European action begins on Tuesday when Manchester City host Real Madrid in what’s expected to be a thrilling 90 minutes of play. You can read our in-depth preview of that match with expert betting predictions on this site.

In this article, we focus on Wednesday’s semi-final when Liverpool face-off against Spaniards Villarreal. At this stage, we have the opportunity of an all-English Premier League or all Spanish La Liga Champions League final.

Nothing will be decided this week as we are at the first leg stage, but Liverpool know their best chance of going through to the final comes from making home advantage count. They want to win at Anfield and do it in a manner that kills the tie.

Everything you need to enjoy the show in Liverpool

The Reds are gunning for a home win over Villareal, but will they get their wish, or will the visitors spring a surprise? There’s all to play for here, and the outcome of this match is a tough one to predict, with two ambitious sides going head-to-head. Thankfully, our soccer betting experts are on hand to help you solve the puzzle.

Read on as we preview Liverpool vs Villarreal, make our predictions, and advise which bookmakers are offering value on this match.

There’s more to a successful betting tip than simply predicting the winner. That’s why we cover both the game and the betting, ensuring you enjoy a researched and professional preview as well as the best betting odds available to you.

The form of both teams, any injury news worth keeping in mind, the head to head stats and those all-important big match trends, we’ve got you covered. Think of this article as a one-stop for all your Liverpool v Villareal betting needs. We are excited about this semi-final so let’s not waste another second. There are profits to be found.

Liverpool’s 10-goal thriller

Liverpool made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League by playing their part in a 10-goal thriller in the quarter-finals.

They eliminated a dogged and determined Benfica side who were punching above their weight in this tournament and looked for a long time like they could be the dark horse of this year’s tournament.

The Reds did the hard work in the first leg away from home, beating Benfica 3-1 on their patch to make life a little simpler for the second leg at Anfield.

The damage was done in Lisbon, Portugal, where Liverpool won thanks to goals from Konate, Mane and Diaz, but the match was a little more competitive than the final score suggests.

The English side raced into a 2-0 lead achieved inside 35 minutes before Nunez hit a reply early in the second half. With the match poised at 2-1, there was to be one final twist on the night, and it was that third goal for Liverpool that proved to be crucial in helping them progress to the last four.

Manager Jurgen Klopp was keen for his side to keep their feet on the ground, and that proved to be a shrewd call with Benfica going on the attack in England.

That match ended in a 3-3 draw, making a 6-4 aggregate score. Konate scored again, with the other two coming from Firmino, who hit a double just 10 minutes apart. Benfica went the distance that night but came up short, beaten by a better team.

Villarreal shock Bayern to advance

Villarreal entered this competition as the winners of the Europa League and have performed above expectations from the start. They finished second behind Manchester United in the group stages and have gone from strength to strength since.

The Spaniards were last seen in action in the quarter-finals when upsetting the odds to eliminate German Bundesliga champions 2-1 on aggregate.

They won the first leg 1-0 in Spain then held on for a 1-1 draw in Munich. Lewandowski had fired the Germans into a lead on 52 minutes, but with the game headed towards extra time, a goal from Chukwueze on 88 minutes won it.

The scores are level

When previewing a match of this magnitude, many profitable and professional bettors like to put their trust in the stats.

When trawling the head-to-head scores during your research, it pays to dig deeper, looking beyond the bare results. You may find a team worth backing, but in many cases, you will uncover something stronger, such as both teams to score or a bet worth having a big odds, like a correct score.

The history books show Liverpool and Villarreal have met only twice before in competitive action. The reason for that is we don’t often see the Spaniards in the later rounds of European competition.

Still, they are an improving side and beat Manchester United to win the Europa League last season. In the two previous matches involving Liverpool and Villarreal, the sides hold one win each. Both games came in the 2016 Europa League when Liverpool breezed through 3-1 on aggregate but only after losing the first leg in Spain.

Villareal claimed a 1-0 win on their patch thanks to a goal from Adrian that came with 90 minutes on the clock. It was a far from convincing victory, and Liverpool were favourites to overturn that deficit at Anfield in the second leg.

They lived up to expectations thanks to a 3-0 victory with the goals scored by Sturridge and Lallana after Soriano had bundled the ball into his own net, giving Liverpool and their fans a dream start.

If we were to take our lead from those matches, we would go for no in the both teams to score market or Liverpool to win to nil. Another bet suggested by the stats would be a home win -1 goal on the handicap.

Liverpool vs. Villarreal Betting Tip – Liverpool win to nil @ +107 (Bovada Sportsbook)

Other Soccer Content This Week on Betting News

• Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League Semifinal 1st Leg) Odds, Prediction & Betting Tips