Villarreal visit Anfield for third time, ten years on

Villarreal make their third trip to Anfield on Tuesday, a decade after the Spanish club's maiden visit to face Liverpool in the 2016 Europa League semi-finals.

A decorative souvenir presented by Villarreal officials during that first visit remains a tangible reminder of the occasion, which had a place in the Europa League final as the prize at stake.

The club's 'Yellow Submarine' nickname dates to 1966-67, when the Beatles song of the same name topped the UK music charts. At the time, Villarreal — wearing the all-yellow kit first adopted in 1947 — were chasing promotion to the third tier of Spanish football. The song quickly became their anthem and, much like You'll Never Walk Alone at Anfield, has been played before every home match since.

By 2015-16, Villarreal had long established themselves in La Liga and in Europe, advancing past Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen and Sparta Prague to reach the last four of that season's Europa League.

Liverpool, under Jürgen Klopp who had taken charge earlier that season, arrived at the semi-finals off victories over Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.

The first leg in Spain drifted towards a goalless draw before a stoppage-time goal gave Villarreal victory. At Anfield the following week, Liverpool levelled the aggregate score inside seven minutes through an own goal, with Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana adding second-half strikes to send the Reds through to the final.

Sevilla ultimately lifted the trophy, denying Klopp a trophy in his first season, but the elimination of Villarreal is regarded as one of the early stepping stones in Liverpool's subsequent rise.