Isak returned to Liverpool’s starting lineup for their 2-1 win over Brentford over the weekend, coming from behind at the G-Tech after the home side had dropped down to 10 men after taking a first half lead.

Isak looks much more like the player we saw at Newcastle in the early weeks of this season. Iraola has already made subtle tweaks to his game, to bring the forward more in line with the high intensity style the former Bournemouth boss wants to see from his team.

Isak has scored five goals across his six starts in the Premier League this season, averaging 3.10 shots per 90 and seeing eight efforts find the target (1.46 per 90). He should get chances against a Villarreal backline who have failed to keep a clean sheet in either of their Champions League matches so far.

Nathan Saliba will line up on the right wing for Villarreal here, and shown real promise in the Champions League when it comes to winning fouls across his two appearances against Dortmund and Napoli so far.

Saliba was fouled twice in both of these matches, and acts as a decent outlet for Villarreal as there really isn’t much speed at the top end of this team. 

We’ve already seen Liverpool be way more aggressive when out of possession this season, ranking third in the Premier League for fouls committed (13.9 per game). This is a significant rise on their foul numbers from last season, and Saliba is an obvious target as Villarreal’s main outlet.

Saliba will be running at Milos Kerkez here, who has also been a bit more aggressive compared to last season - committing 10 fouls across just six starts in the Premier League this season (1.59 per 90).

I’d argue that Jeremy Jacquet has been Liverpool’s best performer so far this season, and certainly their best signing over the summer window.

They had to go early to secure his signature too, Chelsea and United were also interested in the former Rennes man but Liverpool managed to get the deal over the line and he’s slotted in really well next to Van Dijk.

One of his best attributes is his strength. It makes him perfectly suited for Premier League football, as he doesn’t get bullied by the over aggressive forwards and has a solid fouls won record as a result.

Jacquet has won seven fouls across his seven starts in the Premier League this term (1.06 per 90), ranking him in the 71st percentile when compared to other centre backs in the Premier League for the same metric.

Jacquet also maintained an average of 0.91 fouls won per 90 for Rennes in Ligue 1 last season across 19 starts - showing that this is a consistent part of his game.

Alisson has been slightly busier than usual in the early months of Andoni Iraola’s reign, as Liverpool attempt to fix the defensive and build up issues which are calling Alisson into action more often.

This isn’t a massive issue for Liverpool, as Alisson is still one of the best shot stoppers in Europe and he’s been forced into making 16 saves across just seven starts (2.29 per 90). He was forced into making three saves in Liverpool’s win over Atletico Madrid at Anfield, and I think Villarreal can force him into at least two stops.

Villarreal have had 4+ shots on target in both of their Champions League matches so far, managing six shots on target in their 3-2 defeat to Dortmund on the road on Matchday 1. That away clash saw them test Kobel on five occasions, showing the attacking threat they can pose here. 

Liverpool have won both of their games in the Champions League so far, and a third victory here would likely be enough for them to at least be sure of a top 24 finish - and set up a decent chance of a top 8 finish, while allowing Iraola to rotate in more packed portions of the season.

Villarreal have struggled to find the form that earned them a spot in the Champions League last season. They’ve only won two of their nine games in LaLiga this term, and lost to Dortmund 3-2 on Matchday 1 whilst conceding an xG of 2.83 from 18 shots. Furthermore, Villarreal have won just one of their five away games domestically this season.

Liverpool are growing in confidence under Iraola and come into this clash having won four of their last five matches. They’re showing plenty of resilience in these games too, battling back from behind against Brentford over the weekend as well as surviving a late spell from LASK last time out in the Champions League.