Liverpool travel to Spain to take on Villarreal in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday. With Villarreal currently fourth in La Liga, the trip to El Madrigal looks a daunting one for Jurgen Klopps side. But what can the Reds expect from their opponents?Sky Sports La Liga expert Terry Gibson gives us his verdict… Whats their style of play?Theyre not a team that scores a lot of goals, Gibson told Sky Sports. When they played Real Sociedad at the weekend, both teams have scored 42 goals this season. The difference is that Villarreal have conceded far fewer goals. Thats been their strength.In fact, Villarreal have the third best defence in La Liga with only the top two of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid bettering their efforts. At times, weve been able to compare them to Atletico in terms of their style of play, added Gibson. Theyre a lighter version of that. Villarreal welcome back some of their players in unusual fashion They keep it tight in a 4-4-2. Dont expect them to open up and try to blow Liverpool away in 20 minutes. Thats not their style. Theyre slow burners. Theyll tick over, ease themselves into a game through possession and rely on Cedric Bakambu to break down their defence.Is Bakambu the key man?The summer signing from Bursaspor has certainly made an impression in his first season with the club, scoring 12 goals in La Liga - more than twice as many as any other Villarreal player. But Gibson feels Bakambu needs more support from strike partner Roberto Soldado. Alll of Cedric Bakambus goals in La Liga for Villarreal so far this season Bakambu looks lively which is proving a saviour for them at the moment, he says. Soldado isnt scoring. We keep saying that hes creating and contributing to the partnership but he has to start scoring goals. He has to deliver against Liverpool over the two legs.So are they in form?Im concerned about their upcoming fixture against Liverpool, adds Gibson. I think they are running out of steam. There have been a couple of defeats prior to the game against Real Sociedad - and they werent great against Real Sociedad.Villarreal have had several good runs of form in La Liga, winning five in a row early in the campaign and then repeating that trick either side of Christmas. But Marcelinos men go into this tie having won only two of their last eight league games. Villarreal equal to Liverpool Villarreal manager Marcelino insists his side are a match for Liverpool and feel no pressure. Its an interesting one to call because theyve had that cushion between fourth and fifth and the teams below havent really put on the pressure, says Gibson. They havent really had to stretch themselves in La Liga. Can they turn the form back on? Itll be interesting.Who are the favourites?I would probably put Liverpool as favourites, particularly with the second leg at Anfield, adds Gibson. But Im a little unsure because I want to wait and see whether Villarreal could suddenly kick back into life and be the team they were six weeks ago. We know the importance of European football to a club like Villarreal as its a relatively small club despite their success over the past decade or so. Prior to that, there wasnt much history so a European semi-final against a legendary club like Liverpool is a huge occasion. Also See: Villarreal v Liverpool preview Villarreal equal to Liverpool
Wholesale Air Max 1 UK . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4.
Nike Air Max 1 UK . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April.
http://www.cheapairmax1uk.com/ .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena.
Air Max 1 Online Shop . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta.
Nike Air Max 1 Sale UK . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season.Eddie Jones has admitted Englands hopes of completing a series victory over Australia hinge on the outcome of the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday. The Grand Slam champions June tour is the first time the rivals have met over three games and in 17 previous meetings Down Under, the Wallabies have triumphed in all but three and never lost the fixture in four clashes at Suncorp Stadium.While Jones is refusing to write off Englands chances of winning if they succumb in the opening Test, he knows the importance of the result cannot be over-stated. We have to win the first one - thats what the series is about, the first Test, Jones said.There are two Tests to go after that, but the first is going to set up one side to win the series and you want to be the side that wins the series.We want to win the first Test and if we do that, we put ourselves in positions to do all sorts of things and thats our target. Englands rugby union side trained for the first time in Brisbane on Friday as they prepared for their three-match Test series against Australia We dont have any excuses. Weve come here to put our best foot forward and if were good enough, were going to win. If its not good enough, well go back home and well learn.Jones has pledged to adopt a Bodyline approach to facing the World Cup finalists, in reference to the bowling tactics used by Douglas Jardines Ashes winners of 1932-33.dddddddddddd.The Australian wants his tourists to play with the same level of aggression in the belief that only performances of furious intensity will be enough to secure a series victory that would identify England as a genuine force in the game. Englands preparations have been hit by severe weather, but head coach Eddie Jones says he is unfazed by the bad conditions The players realise they have got to do something different. To create history - and thats what we are trying to do - we have to do something different, Jones said.Christopher Columbus didnt discover America by swimming in his own back yard. He had to get in a boat and leave and not see anything. Thats exactly what we have to do.We are in a position where we have to do something no other side has done and to do that, we have to do things differently.Watch Australia v England live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 10.30am on Saturday. Also See: Hartley: We can win series Rugby on Sky Jones on facing Aussies England land in Australia ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace