Champions League
2026-10-20 - Liverpool vs Villarreal
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Champions League Match Day 3
Tuesday 20th October 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Liverpool
The red card changed the game against Liverpool when they were beaten 0-3 by Manchester City immediately after the return from the last international break, but it was a Brentford red card that gave Andoni Iraola's men momentum on Saturday. They were 1-0 behind when the home team were reduced to ten men and Liverpool scored twice in the second half to earn a victory before the return to the Champions League.
Finishing in the top eight of the Champions League Group Stage is the ambition for all of the top clubs, but it feels particularly important for those in the English Premier League. Last season all five participants from England finished in those places and Liverpool have earned top three spots in each of the first two seasons under this Champions League Group Stage format.
Liverpool have only lost 1 of the 10 games played in all competitions under the new manager and they have won both Champions League games to sit in 5th place in the standings. Last week, Liverpool scored six in an away win at LASK, but they are looking to bounce back from that defeat to Manchester City in the first game at Anfield since then.
Alexander Isak returned this weekend and scored the winning goal, but Dominik Szoboszlai was not so fortunate as he struggled to overcome recent issues and was withdrawn in the first half. The squad is going to have Ryan Gravenberch available, while Andoni Iraola may choose to freshen things up a bit.
Villarreal
In the 2021/22 Champions League season, Villarreal made it all the way through to the Semi Final, but the return to the competition for the first time since that run was very disappointing. Not only did Villarreal finished 35th in the League Phase standings last season, but they earned a single point from the eight Champions League games played.
Most will expect that experience to help them manage the fixtures much more convincingly in the 2026/27 season and Villarreal have already surpassed the points total by beating Napoli at home on Match Day 2. However, they opened with a 3-2 loss at Borussia Dortmund and that means Villarreal have lost 6 away European ties in succession.
Villarreal have made a mixed start to the season and that means sitting in 12th place in the Primera Division, while they are 14th in the Champions League. The side have been a streaky team with 4 straight losses last month, but they have won 3 of the last 5 games in all competitions. Villarreal have lost 3 of the last 4 away games in all competitions, although they did only go down to a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid most recently.
Head to Head
Liverpool have beaten Villarreal 3 times in the 4 competitive fixtures played.
Both previous ties have been in the Champions League of European competitions- Liverpool won the Europa League tie in 2016 and the Champions League tie in 2022.
Liverpool have won both games at Anfield without conceding a goal.
Prediction
The last time Liverpool played at Anfield, a tense fixture against Manchester City turned after a very soft red card was handed out to Ryan Gravenberch with the game goalless into the second half.
A couple of quality strikes took the game away from Liverpool, but the English Premier League participants have enjoyed playing in the League Phase of the Champions League and The Reds are very much one of those.
Two wins have already shown the strength Liverpool have in the Champions League, especially in the Autumn and Winter, and they are expected to have too much for Villarreal.
A much changed Liverpool won 3-6 at LASK last week, but Andoni Iraola is expected to pick a stronger team than that on Match Day 3.
Villarreal struggled in the Champions League last season and have had a mixed start to the season, but any club representing Spanish Football has to be respected.
They will cause some problems, but it is hard to shake off the number of away defeats Villarreal have suffered in succession in UEFA competition and previous visits to Anfield have been disappointing. With the quality Liverpool still have in the final third, they should have too much for Villarreal again and The Reds can be backed to put together a solid win on Tuesday evening.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Liverpool 2-0 Villarreal
