Villarreal manager Marcelino has installed his side as underdogs tonight, and used Christian Benteke‘s price-tag as his tool to do it, Sky Sports report.
The Spaniards head to Anfield this evening with a 1-0 lead from the first-leg in Spain, but thanks to our home advantage, the tie is evenly poised.
Benteke is unlikely to start, having not been selected from the offset in a fixture since an FA Cup tie with West Ham in February, and the striker’s Anfield failings haven’t gone unnoticed.
“Liverpool as a club have an extraordinary squad of footballers – but you consider Benteke cost 50m euros – which equates to the whole turnover of Villarreal as a club!” Marcelino said.
Last Thursday, Benteke returned from his hamstring injury against Villarreal, but watched Liverpool concede in the few minutes he was on the pitch.
This evening, surely he’ll start from the bench again, with Daniel Sturridge the obvious choice to lead the line.
If Benteke is thrown on late though, if we’re in desperate need of a goal – he can use Marcelino’s comments as motivation.
The Belgian has struggled immensely since his blockbuster move from Aston Villa, but could make himself a hero with a telling goal against the Spaniards – which could get us into a European Final.
The forward’s Merseyside career is likely over, but until the end of the campaign, we need all the help we can get.