Liverpool vs Villarreal Prediction, Tips and Odds | Champions League

Featured Bet Builders

⊞

TNT Sports Exclusive

Liverpool 🔴 vs 🟡 Villarreal

Today, 21:00 · UEFA – Champions League

• Liverpool – Full Time Result
• Yes – Both Teams to Score

↗ Odds Boost

Was
29/20

→

2/1

18+ | T&Cs apply. Odds and availability subject to bookmaker confirmation. Gamble responsibly.

Liverpool have won both of their Champions League league-phase games but conceded in each of them, and Villarreal, who have scored five goals in two matches, will fancy testing that at Anfield on Tuesday.

Kick-off is at 8pm UK time, with Andoni Iraola facing Inigo Perez, a former member of his coaching staff at Rayo Vallecano who took charge of Villarreal in the summer.

Preview: Liverpool vs Villarreal

Iraola’s side have won four of their last five games in all competitions, with the only defeat a 3-0 home loss to Manchester City.

They have scored 12 goals in that run but conceded eight, including three in the 6-3 win at LASK in their previous league-phase game.

Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick in that win, his first goals for the club since joining from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

Florian Wirtz created nine chances for teammates from open play at Brentford on Saturday, a figure no player had matched in a Premier League game since former Reds star Sadio Mane’s masterclass against Burnley in January 2021.

Anfield is where Liverpool opened the league phase in September, beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 in their only home game in the competition so far.

Alexander Isak scored the winner on Saturday after returning from injury, although Liverpool had to come from behind against a Brentford side who had a player sent off in the first half, and finished with nine men after a second red card late on.

Villarreal ended a run of 12 straight Champions League games without a win by beating Napoli 3-1 at home on October 13.

Villarreal sit 14th in the league phase table on three points, with Liverpool fifth on six, after one victory and one defeat from their first two games.

That success against Napoli was the Yellow Submarine third in four games across all competitions before a 0-0 draw at home to Elche on Saturday, a stark contrast to the six-game winless run that Perez started the season with.

However, Villarreal have struggled on the road, losing three of their last four away games, including a 3-2 defeat at Dortmund on the opening matchday, and coming out on top in just one of their six so far this term.

Additionally, right-back Santiago Mourino scored in both of Villarreal’s Champions League matches from roughly 0.10 expected goals, a return rate that is unlikely to be repeated on Tuesday, and leaves the forwards to carry more of the attacking load.

Liverpool vs Villarreal team news and predicted lineups

Liverpool team news

Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong are both out after hamstring injuries at Brentford, with Iraola saying Liverpool will lose them for some time.

The Hungary captain was forced off after 32 minutes, while Frimpong was injured within moments of coming on to replace Ronald Araujo at half time.

Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley also remain sidelined through long-term injuries, so Araujo is set to keep his spot at right-back.

Ryan Gravenberch is expected to start again after sitting out on Saturday due to a one-match domestic ban for his red card against Manchester City.

Cody Gakpo is fit enough for selection after being an unused substitute at Brentford, while Alexis Mac Allister is the likeliest partner for Gravenberch in midfield.

Liverpool predicted lineup vs Villarreal

Alisson; Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Barcola; Isak

Villarreal team news

Tajon Buchanan is a doubt despite returning to team training on Monday following a hamstring injury, while Nicolas Pepe is out as he recovers from eye surgery.

Mikautadze scored against Napoli and came off the bench against Elche, while Moreno replaced Akhomach in the closing stages of that game.

Renato Veiga is predicted to return to the back four after being rested, with Pau Navarro alongside him.

Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, who missed the win over Napoli after being held at gunpoint in his home by armed intruders, is expected to line up between the sticks as he returns to Anfield, where he spent six years on Liverpool’s books between 2007 and 2013.

Villarreal predicted lineup vs Liverpool

Gulacsi; Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Romero; Akhomach, Comesana, Gueye, Moleiro; Moreno, Mikautadze

Head-to-head: Liverpool vs Villarreal

Liverpool have won three of the four meetings between these sides, scoring eight goals to Villarreal’s three, and all four came in European semi-finals.

The 2016 Europa League tie went Liverpool’s way 3-1 on aggregate after Villarreal won the first leg 1-0, and the 2022 Champions League tie finished 5-2 to Liverpool.

Liverpool went on to lose the final each time after those encounters, to Sevilla in 2016 and Real Madrid in 2022.

This is the first meeting since May 2022 and both managers are new to their jobs, so the history is context rather than a guide to Tuesday.

That being said, the head coaches have a shared history, as Perez was Iraola’s assistant at Rayo Vallecano and the pair were once Athletic Bilbao teammates, while a move for Perez to join Iraola at Bournemouth fell through over a work permit.

Our Liverpool vs Villarreal prediction and betting tips

Liverpool are short-priced favourites, so our tips look for additional value in goals and chance creation, with the exact score as the outside call.

Odds correct as of Monday, 19 October 2026, 18:45 BST.