Liverpool (AFP) – David faces Goliath in the Champions League on Wednesday as Villarreal travel to Anfield to meet Liverpool, aiming to derail the Reds’ bid for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies.
Jurgen Klopp’s men, who lifted the League Cup in February, have already won the same number of major honours this season as the Yellow Submarine have in their entire history.
But Villarreal’s sole silverware came last season in the Europa League — beating Manchester United on penalties in the final — and they have shocked European giants Juventus and Bayern Munich to make the semi-finals of the Champions League.
AFP Sport looks at the figures that show the gulf in resources and pedigree between the Spanish side and the English Premier League giants.
Major honours:
Liverpool – 49: 19x English league title, 6x European Cup/Champions League, 3x UEFA Cup, 7x FA Cup, 9x League Cup, 1 Club World Cup, 4x European Super Cup
Villarreal – 1: 1 Europa League
Stadium capacity:
Liverpool – 53,400
Villarreal – 23,500
City population:
Liverpool – 500,500
Villarreal – 51,000
Turnover:
Liverpool (2021) – £487 million ($615 million, 577 million euros)
Villarreal (2021) – 124 million euros
Wage Bill:
Liverpool (2021) – £314 million
Villarreal (2021) – 95 million euros
Record signing:
Liverpool – £75 million, Virgil van Dijk from Southampton (January 2018)
Villarreal – 25 million euros, Arnaut Danjuma from Bournemouth (August 2021)
Social media followers (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok combined):
Liverpool: 104.3 million
Villarreal: 3.4 million
200+ Channels With Sports & News
- Starting price: $33/mo. for fubo Latino Package
- Watch Premier League, Women’s World Cup, Euro 2024 & Gold Cup
The New Home of MLS
- Price: $14.99/mo. for MLS Season Pass
- Watch every MLS game including playoffs & Leagues Cup
Many Sports & ESPN Originals
- Price: $10.99/mo. (or get ESPN+, Hulu & Disney+ for $14.99/mo.)
- Features Bundesliga, LaLiga, Championship, & FA Cup
2,000+ soccer games per year
- Price: $5.99/mo
- Features Champions League, Serie A, Europa League & Brasileirāo
175 Premier League Games & PL TV
- Starting price: $5.99/mo. for Peacock Premium
- Watch 175 exclusive EPL games per season