Anfield Curse Awaits Villarreal as Spaniards Take on Favourites Liverpool in Champions League Semis

Liverpool are on course to achieve an unprecedented quadruple this season, having already lifted the Carabao Cup and reached the final of the FA Cup. In the Premier League, the Reds are a point behind leaders Man City with six games to go. In the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp's men are the hot favourites to make it to the title clash.
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Villarreal face Liverpool in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final at Anfield on Wednesday night.
For Liverpool's supporters Anfield is a sacred place, but for Villarreal it could be dubbed a graveyard — given that no current member of Unai Emery's squad has ever triumphed at the English outfit's home ground.
Eight of the Spanish club's players, as well as manager Emery, have previously played at Anfield, but none has ever tasted victory there.
While Etienne Capoue experienced four defeats at the famous stadium during his time with Watford, Francis Coquelin and Serge Aurier endured two beatings each there when they were playing for Arsenal and Tottenham respectively.
Meanwhile Vicente Iborra, Giovani Lo Celso, Raul Albiol, Sergio Asenjo, Manu Trigueros and Mario Gaspar have all lost a game at Anfield at some point in their careers.
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may have dubbed Emery the "King of Cups" due to his record of winning European competitions, but even he has failed to break the Anfield jinx.
The Villarreal manager has lost both his previous matches at Anfield, having suffered a 5-1 annihilation as Arsenal coach in 2018-19, followed by a 3-1 defeat next season.
Beating Liverpool at Anfield would be quite a prize. The Merseyside club have never lost a Champions League semi-final at home. If Villarreal manages it on Wednesday they would make history.
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