Injury-hit Liverpool host Villarreal looking to keep their unbeaten Champions League start intact

Liverpool face a stern test this week as they look to keep their unbeaten Champions League run going. The injury-hit English giants host Villarreal at Anfield on Tuesday night on the third matchday of the league phase, with kick-off at 21:00 CEST (20:00 UK time). Just five days after this crucial fixture, the Reds take on Brighton, one of the in-form sides in the league.

Two wins from two in Europe

Andoni Iraola's Liverpool opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield. On the second matchday they beat LASK 6-3 in Austria, with Bradley Barcola scoring a hat-trick and Ronald Araujo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also getting on the scoresheet. Florian Wirtz provided the assist for Barcola's second goal that night.

The picture is different in the Premier League. Liverpool climbed to fifth on Saturday with a 2-1 win away at nine-man Brentford, but they are still waiting for a first home league win under Iraola (two draws, one defeat). Beaten 3-0 by Manchester City in their last league game at Anfield, the Reds have won at home this season only against Atletico in the Champions League and Tottenham (3-1) in the League Cup. On the other hand, Liverpool have won 15 of their last 16 home matches in the Champions League group and league phase. The only exception was a 4-1 defeat by PSV last November under Arne Slot.

Asked about his side's home form, Iraola said: "It is true that we have had better results away than at home, but it is just the beginning." He added: "For me, now it is Villarreal, that's it. It is going to be demanding tomorrow, I know them very well and we need a performance like we had against Atletico."

No Frimpong or Szoboszlai

Two players injured against Brentford are Liverpool's biggest concern. Iraola said Jeremie Frimpong has suffered a new muscle injury and is unlikely to return before the November international break. Dominik Szoboszlai, whose existing injury has not flared up again but who needs patience to recover fully, is also not expected to feature against Villarreal. In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch, now back from suspension, is expected to replace Szoboszlai.

Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, is in fine form after creating nine chances from open play against Brentford. The German became the player to create the most chances in a single Premier League match since Sadio Mane, also for Liverpool, created nine against Burnley in January 2021. Wirtz has now provided assists in back-to-back games for the first time in a Liverpool shirt.

Villarreal arrive on the back of a win over Napoli

Villarreal began their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 defeat away at Borussia Dortmund, before beating Napoli 3-1 at home on the second matchday. Having fallen behind to Amir Rrahmani's eighth-minute goal, the Spanish side went ahead through Georges Mikautadze and Santiago Mouriño, who struck three minutes apart, before Tani Oluwaseyi sealed the result in the 86th minute. The Yellow Submarine are reported to be without Nicolas Pépé and Tajon Buchanan at Anfield.

The two sides have met twice before in European semi-finals, with Liverpool winning both ties. In the 2015-16 Europa League semi-final, Liverpool lost the first leg 1-0 before winning 3-0 at Anfield to reach the final. In the 2021-22 Champions League semi-final, the English side won 2-0 at Anfield and 3-2 in Spain.