On Wednesday night, Villarreal take on Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Giovani Lo Celso, Serge Aurier and Juan Foyth will all be hoping to get a chance to play, with the former on loan with the Spanish side until the end of the season.
Villarreal are currently seventh in La Liga, but will hope they can go one step further from their Europa League win last season and collect the Champions League trophy. Lo Celso has made 15 appearances for his current side so far, since his move in January.
The Argentine has played in all four of Villarreal's Champions League matches since his arrival, making the starting XI in all of them. Foyth has also had game time in the European competition, playing in all but two of Villarreal's games.
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Earlier this month, the 24-year-old came out and made an admission about his Tottenham exit. "When he [Mourinho] arrived, I was doing well, but I had moments when I didn’t deserve to play. I wanted to leave and have more continuity," he said.
However the Argentine went on to explain how happy he is at his new club. "I never thought I would have a feeling like this for a club. From the first day, I knew I wanted to stay."
Under Unai Emery, Foyth is battling for a spot at right-back, with another former Spurs man, Aurier. The 24-year-old seems to be getting more opportunities than the Ivorian, but in an interview ahead of the Champions League fixture, he spoke about the competition between the duo.
"It's a healthy competition, I tell you from the heart when it's his turn, Aurier's, I want [him] to do well," Foyth explained, as he spoke about the good relationships within the Villarreal dressing room. The defender's interview with AS.com saw him look back at his move to the Premier League, a big step from playing for Argentine side Estudiantes.
"The first year was rough, I wasn't 100% prepared. The first day I arrived I was training with [Harry] Kane and Son [Heung-min] and I thought about myself playing them in the PlayStation with Tottenham the previous week and today I was training with them," the defender said.
"Then you acclimatize to the locker room and you realize that they are teammates and that you have to compete, the second year I was able to play a little more in the Premier, in the Champions League...but the first year was hard."
Despite the struggles of moving to a new team and a new country, Foyth praised his former club. "I think that since I arrived they received me very well, it is a club that I have a lot of affection for because it was my first club in Europe," he said.
The 24-year-old has already won more silverware with Villarreal in under two years, than he did with Tottenham in three. His sights have now turned to Wednesday's game and he gave his verdict on the Liverpool team he will come up against.
"We are going to give one hundred [per cent], we know that they are a top-level team, that comes from beating City, United, they are a very strong team offensively and they are very organized at the back. Of all the teams in Europe, it seems to me the most balanced," Foyth admitted.
"Against Luis Diaz, [Sadio] Mane, [Mo] Salah…respect them as they should be, they are top-level players, but we'll see what happens." The semi-final first leg will kick-off at Anfield at 8pm and the defender will be hoping to get game time and impress.
