Iñigo Pérez was refused a work permit to join Iraola at Bournemouth, and now he brings Villarreal to Anfield

Andoni Iraola tried to take Iñigo Pérez to England once. In 2023 he wanted his old Rayo Vallecano assistant on his staff at Bournemouth, and the application for a work permit was turned down. “We tried to take him to England, he was here but he couldn’t work,” Iraola said on Monday.

Pérez is back on Tuesday night, and this time nobody needs to sign off on it. He brings Villarreal to Anfield in the third round of the Champions League league phase, with Liverpool looking for a third win from three. Kick-off is 8pm in Liverpool, which is 12:30am IST on Wednesday.

“Inigo is my friend”

They came through the academy at Athletic Club together and later played in the same first team. When Iraola was in charge at Rayo, he made Pérez his assistant, and Pérez went on to take the head coach’s job there himself in February 2024.

He did well enough to earn a bigger one. Pérez took Rayo to the Conference League final last season, where they lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace, and Villarreal appointed him on 1 June on a deal to 2029, after Marcelino left.

“For me it’s a special game because Inigo is my friend,” Iraola said. He admitted they had spoken less as the game got closer, and that the night would be “a little bit strange”, in a good way.

Liverpool without Szoboszlai and Frimpong

The weekend cost Iraola two players. Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong both went off injured in the 2-1 win at Brentford, and neither will play. Szoboszlai’s problem is the hamstring he brought back from international duty. “We will have to be a little bit more patient until he recovers fully,” Iraola said.

Conor Bradley is out long-term, as are Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni, so with Frimpong gone too there is not much left at right-back. Ronald Araujo, a centre-back on a season-long loan from Barcelona, has been filling in there. Cody Gakpo is close to a return from the ankle injury he picked up with the Netherlands.

Liverpool’s European form has been the brighter part of their autumn. They came from behind to beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 at Anfield on the opening night, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring the winner, and then won 6-3 at LASK, where Bradley Barcola scored his first senior hat-trick. In between came a 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City in the league on 11 October, Iraola’s first competitive defeat in charge.

Villarreal’s long wait is over

Villarreal arrive on the back of a result they had waited four and a half years for. Their 3-1 win over Napoli at La Cerámica on 13 October, after Amir Rrahmani had put the Italians ahead, was their first Champions League win since they beat Bayern Munich in April 2022. Georges Mikautadze equalised, Santiago Mouriño hit the second from distance and the substitute Tani Oluwaseyi added the third.

The league has been harder going. A goalless home draw with Elche on Saturday left them with nine points from nine La Liga games, and Pérez is still without Tajon Buchanan, who hurt a hamstring playing for Canada, and Nicolas Pépé, who has had eye surgery. Both missed the Napoli game.

The history is on Liverpool’s side

The clubs have met four times in competitive football, all in semi-finals, and Liverpool have won three. Villarreal’s only win was 1-0 at home in the first leg of the 2016 Europa League semi-final. Jürgen Klopp’s side won the return 3-0 at Anfield. In 2022 Liverpool beat them 5-2 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals.

Villarreal have lost all three meetings since that night in 2016. Liverpool, without two of their regulars, will start as favourites to make it four.

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