Liverpool will try to 'kill' Villarreal in their Champions League semi-final clash at Anfield, according to Etienne Capoue, who has described playing at the Merseyside club's home stadium as "hell".
Villarreal will be competing in the last four of the Champions League for only the second time in their history when they travel to Liverpool on Wednesday night, having recorded surprise wins over Juventus and Bayern Munich in the previous rounds.
Unai Emery's side will be heavy underdogs once again against the Reds, and Capoue has warned his team-mates to expect a hostile atmosphere in the first leg at Anfield.
What has Capoue said about Anfield?
Former Tottenham and Watford midfielder Capoue played in England for eight years before joining Villarreal last summer, and doesn't have fond memories of his previous outings at Liverpool's iconic stadium.
"Anfield is hell, you have to say it how it is. It’s hell," the 33-year-old told AFP.
"It’s the worst stadium I’ve been to in England. Whether it’s the atmosphere, the way they play. For 90 minutes, you live in hell.
"They have this ability to transcend themselves, to cause you nothing but problems, all the time, in any part of the field.
"They never stop, they rush you all the time, they only want to score goals, and even when they score, they carry on. They want to knock you out.
"They don’t care what or who is in front of them. They just want to kill everyone and that’s it."
Capoue embracing Villarreal's underdogs tag
Capoue is well aware that Liverpool are the overwhelming favourites to reach the final, but he is not fazed by the fact that so many pundits and supporters are writing off Villarreal's chances.
The Frenchman says the 2021 Europa League winners showed no fear against Juve or Bayern and will approach the two legs against the Reds in the same fashion as they strive to "enjoy this moment".
"Winning the Champions League? We never had the audacity to say we could win the Champions League," Capoue added.
"We’re the smallest club in the semi-finals, we were the smallest club in the quarter-finals. We’re just making our merry way. And we have nothing to lose.
"We’re in the semis which shows we weren’t afraid of Juventus or Bayern. We don’t care, we know we’re underdogs.
"We’re not a big team but we’re a solid team, playing for the love of football, that wants to enjoy this moment. Because what we’re experiencing is incredible.
"Nobody will say we’re favourites because we’re not. Who are the other teams? What else can we say about them?
"It’s not offending anyone to say there are 50,000 people here [in the city of Villarreal] and in their stadiums alone, they have 70,000 seats. We don’t mind, it’s the truth."