Super Eagles and Villareal winger Samuel Chukwueze said on Tuesday that Liverpool are favourites for their UEFA Champions League semifinal tie today at Anfield but that he and his teammates are not in England to lose.
The Yellow Submarines have eliminated powerhouses Juventus and Bayern Munich, and even though Klopp’s men begin the tie as odds-on favourites, the Nigeria international says Villareal will not lay low and let Liverpool run past them.
“We know all about Liverpool, and they are expected to win, so the pressure is on them,” Chukwueze said on BBC Sport Africa.
“We have a squad and manager good enough to compete against any team in the world. Because of the way Liverpool play, some people have already made their own predictions, but that is normal in football.
“We have a job to do, and we are not going to Liverpool to lose. Why not aim for the best result over there? And that is what we hope to do.”
Chukwueze scored the winning goal in a 1-1 draw away at Bayern Munich to help Villareal qualify for the semifinal after Villareal had defeated the newly crowned German champions 1-0 in Spain.
“I came on as a late substitute and scored a winner that I will never forget in my life,” Chukwueze continued.
“You honestly have no idea how much it meant to the players, the club, our fans, and the city.
“Everything happened so fast. My teammates kept screaming ‘Samu!’ and I couldn’t process it at that very moment. And honestly, I couldn’t hold myself. I looked across to our fans, and once I saw them with tears of joy, I completely understood the impact of that goal.”
