Villarreal defender Pau Torres has warned that his club's Champions League semi-final clash with Liverpool is far from a foregone conclusion given the Yellow Submarine already knocked out Juventus and Bayern Munich.
The Spanish side finished second in their group, one point behind an underperforming Manchester United side, sealing their place in the round of 16.
A home draw against Juve was then followed up with a shock 3-0 result in Turin, before going on to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory over Bayern to book a spot against the Reds in the semi-final.
What did Torres say about Liverpool?
When asking if the label of underdog suits Villarreal, Torres told AS: “Yes, we have nothing to lose – quite the contrary.
“We will be less of a surprise because we have just eliminated Juve and Bayern, so Liverpool will be a little more humble than Bayern was and they will prepare thoroughly knowing what we have achieved in the other qualifiers.
“They are the clear favourites for the tie right now. We have to know who we're up against and it's okay to recognise that they're favourites. But so were Juve and Bayern. We're working hard to continue giving surprises.
“They have pretty much the best players in the world and they've just easily beaten Manchester United and they beat City too. But we have adapted very well in this competition to teams that are bigger than us."
Could Torres transfer in the summer?
The defender has been linked with a move to Manchester United for some time, but Torres insists that he isn't thinking about anything past the end of the current campaign.
“This year I am focused on the club, I have a contract with my hometown club that is allowing me to experience something unique like a Champions League semi-final. Everyone would like to enjoy these occasions with the team they love, so I am very lucky to be able to experience it.”
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