As Champions League football illuminates under the Anfield lights once more, Andoni Iraola will be hoping for a much cleaner, calmer and more peaceful display on home soil.

While Liverpool got the job done in their last Champions League home outing against Atletico Madrid, they still had to come from behind, as another Spanish outfit visits Merseyside on Tuesday night.

Villarreal are in town, with the La Liga club coming into this game on the back of a goalless draw against Elche, while Liverpool saw off nine-man Brentford on Saturday.

After finishing behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona last season, life has proven to be far more difficult this term, as they only have two wins from their opening nine La Liga matches.

How have Villarreal been performing ahead of their Anfield visit?

In terms of league form, it isn’t great for Villarreal, who have several former Premier League players amongst their ranks.

Ex-Chelsea man Renato Veiga is part of a backline including former Tottenham defender Juan Foyth, while Arsenal’s one-time club-record transfer Nicolas Pepe is on the flanks, but is currently contending an eye injury.

Former Newcastle United and Leicester City attacker Ayoze Perez is also part of the same attack, as he has four goal involvements to his name this term.

Nonetheless, when it comes to league form, it has been a struggle for the Yellow Submarine, but they did manage to pick up their first win of the Champions League campaign when they beat Napoli last time out.

What is the connection between Andoni Iraola and Villarreal boss Iñigo Pérez?

The man in the opposition dugout will be Iñigo Pérez. A man very familiar to Iraola, and life could have been very different for the duo.

It could be argued that Perez could be in the Liverpool dugout right now alongside his fellow countryman, if they had got their own way.

Both Iraola and Perez are long-time friends. They have known each other for decades, including through Athletic Club’s academy, and later on working in the dugout side by side.

Iraola wanted Perez as part of his coaching staff when he was first appointed Bournemouth boss in 2023, but the latter wasn’t granted a work permit.

Now Perez is set to come face-to-face, as the coach of Villarreal, against Iraola on European football’s biggest stage.