A year is a long time in association football. On 3 May 2021, Liverpool were seventh in the Premier League and seven points off Champions League qualification. Now they are two games away from a seventh European Cup and could be seven games (plus one Manchester City drawfeat) from an historic quadruple.
Football is a never-ending tale of the unexpected, a thought that will sustain Villarreal ahead of tonight’s match at El Madrigal. The first leg was so one-sided - a 2-0 that felt like a 4-0 - that most neutrals think Liverpool are as good as in the final already. It’s not a view that will be shared in the away dressing-room or the away end. Liverpool’s legend has been built on glorious European comebacks, from Juventus in 1965 to Barcelona in 2019, so they know all about the madness of the second leg.
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