- 1 Liverpool vs Villarreal: Iraola counts six absentees before Anfield
- 2 Liverpool: eight goals in two European games despite a thinning squad
- 3 Villarreal: the Napoli win ended a seven-game losing run in Europe
- 4 Free Champions League Prediction: Liverpool vs Villarreal
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Liverpool vs Villarreal: Iraola counts six absentees before Anfield 
Dominik Szoboszlai lasted 32 minutes at Brentford on Saturday before his hamstring went again. Jeremie Frimpong came on at half-time and was off six minutes later with a new injury. Andoni Iraola said afterwards that both will be out “for some time”.
They join Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Vitezslav Jaros and Giovanni Leoni on Liverpool’s list of absentees, six players in all, three days before Villarreal visit Anfield in the third round of the Champions League league phase. Kick-off is at 8pm UK time on Tuesday.
Results haven’t suffered yet. Liverpool have six points from six in Europe, after beating Atlético Madrid at Anfield and winning 6-3 at LASK on Wednesday. They then came from behind to win 2-1 at Brentford, a result that lifted them to fifth in the Premier League with 12 points from seven games.
Villarreal arrive with three points. They lost 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund on the opening night, then came from a goal down to beat Napoli 3-1 at the Estadio de la Cerámica on 13 October. That was their first Champions League win in eight matches and ended a run of seven straight European defeats.
Iraola called the squad situation “very delicate” after Brentford, pointing to a late return from Austria and no proper recovery time. The right-back problem is the most pressing: with Bradley and Frimpong both out, Victor Muñoz played there on Saturday and Ronald Araujo is the alternative.
We still see a clear gap in quality and in goals. Liverpool have scored eight times in two Champions League games, Villarreal have conceded four, and all four of the European matches these two sides have played this season have produced at least three goals.
Liverpool: eight goals in two European games despite a thinning squad 
Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick in the 6-3 win at LASK. Ronald Araujo, Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also scored that night, while Robert Ljubicic and Florian Flecker, with two, kept the Austrians in touch. Liverpool’s opener against Atlético finished 2-1, with Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister on the scoresheet.
The win at Brentford came the hard way. Keane Lewis-Potter headed the home side ahead shortly before half-time, after Liverpool had a penalty overturned by VAR. Yehor Yarmoliuk was sent off in first-half stoppage time, Victor Muñoz equalised just after the hour from a Florian Wirtz pass, and Alexander Isak won it eight minutes later from a Barcola header.
That attack is still intact. Isak, Wirtz and Barcola all started at Brentford, and Rio Ngumoha came off the bench for Frimpong. Liverpool have scored eight goals in their last two games in all competitions.
The defence is the worry. Liverpool conceded three at LASK and went behind at Brentford, and the injuries at right-back mean Iraola has to choose between a converted attacker and Araujo out of position. In midfield, Szoboszlai’s absence leaves Mac Allister without his usual partner.
Brighton visit Anfield in the Premier League after this game, but we don’t expect Iraola to rotate heavily. Six points from six puts Liverpool in a strong position in the table, and a third win would go a long way towards a top-eight finish.
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Villarreal: the Napoli win ended a seven-game losing run in Europe 
Amir Rrahmani put Napoli ahead after eight minutes at the Cerámica. Villarreal answered with two goals inside three minutes: Georges Mikautadze punished an underhit backpass from Matteo Politano, then Santiago Mouriño scored from distance on 25 minutes. Substitute Tani Oluwaseyi made it 3-1 about four minutes from time.
Before that night, Villarreal had lost seven European matches in a row. Their last draw in the competition was a 2-2 with Juventus in October 2025, and they finished 35th of 36 in last season’s league phase. A defeat against Napoli would have made them the first Spanish side to lose eight straight European games.
Iñigo Pérez’s side came into that game in poor domestic form. They lost 3-2 at home to Deportivo La Coruña and 2-1 at home to Real Betis, then went down 1-0 at Real Madrid on 10 October despite Madrid playing with ten men. Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Elche didn’t add much momentum.
Goals have been spread thinly. Pape Gueye is the top La Liga scorer at the club with three, and Mikautadze, Oluwaseyi and Ayoze Pérez have been competing for one place up front. Mikautadze’s equaliser against Napoli was his first Champions League goal of the season, and Oluwaseyi has now scored off the bench in a European game.
Tajon Buchanan was out with a hamstring injury before the Napoli game, and Nicolas Pépé was a doubt with an eye problem. Villarreal have conceded in both European games, three of them in Dortmund, and they come to Anfield without a clean sheet in the competition.
Probable lineup Liverpool: Not announced at time of publication (Szoboszlai, Frimpong, Ekitike, Bradley, Jaros and Leoni unavailable)
Probable lineup Villarreal: Gulácsi; Mouriño, Foyth, Renato Veiga, Cardona; Saliba, Gueye; Akhomach, Moleiro, Ayoze Pérez; Mikautadze
Free Champions League Prediction: Liverpool vs Villarreal
Our prediction: Over 2.5 goals (around 1.59)
Liverpool’s win is priced at around 1.52, and we think they’ll get it, but the injury list makes us more comfortable with the goals market. Liverpool 2-1 Atlético, LASK 3-6 Liverpool, Dortmund 3-2 Villarreal and Villarreal 3-1 Napoli: all four European games involving these sides have gone over 2.5.
Liverpool’s attack doesn’t depend on Szoboszlai or Frimpong. Isak, Wirtz and Barcola were all involved in the goals at Brentford, and Barcola’s hat-trick in Austria came in a game where Liverpool scored six. Villarreal have conceded four in two European games and only won at home.
The weakened Liverpool back line also works in favour of this pick. With a makeshift right-back and a midfield missing Szoboszlai, Villarreal should find chances of their own, and they’ve scored five goals in their two European games. We back three or more goals at Anfield.
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