Villarreal defender Pau Torres admits Liverpool are the favourites for their Champions League semi-final... yet the same tag was given to Juventus and Bayern Munich.
The Spanish outfit stunned Juventus and Bayern to reach the last four of this season's tournament and will compete in their first ever Champions League final if they can overcome Jurgen Klopp's side. Villarreal are the Europa League holders.
Torres, who's currently linked with Manchester United, insists Villarreal have "nothing to lose" against the six-time winners. They are coached by Unai Emery, who led Sevilla to victory against Klopp's Liverpool in the Europa League final in May 2016.
"Yes, we have nothing to lose - quite the contrary," Torres told Spanish outlet AS. "We will be less of a surprise because we have just eliminated Juve and Bayern, so Liverpool will be a little more humble than Bayern was and they will prepare thoroughly knowing what we have achieved in the other qualifiers."
Former Arsenal boss Emery is a specialist in Europe, winning the Europa League four times. Villarreal's La Liga form is not as impressive as their continental exploits, as they currently sit seventh in the table - nine points behind Atletico Madrid in fourth.
Villarreal last reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2005-06 under the management of Manuel Pellegrini. The Spanish side boasted one of the best squads in Europe, containing the likes of Diego Forlan, Santi Cazorla and Juan Roman Riquelme.
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Villarreal suffered a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Arsenal in that tie, with goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saving a last-minute Riquelme penalty. Since then, they've finished second in La Liga and suffered relegation to Spain's second tier.
Torres went on to say: "They [Liverpool] are the clear favourites for the tie right now. We have to know who we're up against and it's okay to recognise that they're favourites. But so were Juve and Bayern. We're working hard to continue giving surprises.
"They have pretty much the best players in the world and they've just easily beaten Manchester United and they beat City too. But we have adapted very well in this competition to teams that are bigger than us."
Torres is one of Villarreal's most impressive players. The centre-back, 25, has made 120 appearances during the last three seasons for the Spanish side. He has 26 months remaining on his existing deal and, according to Transfermarkt, is valued at £45million.
Torres has picked up 17 senior caps for Spain, helping Luis Enrique's side reach the last four of Euro 2020 and the final of the Nations League last year. He was also part of the squad that won a silver medal at last summer's Olympics in Tokyo.
"This year I am focused on the club, I have a contract with my hometown club that is allowing me to experience something unique like a Champions League semi-final," said Torres when asked about his future. "Everyone would like to enjoy these occasions with the team they love, so I am very lucky to be able to experience it."
