Ex-Liverpool Striker: Reds Should Not Take Villarreal Lightly

No matter how well Liverpool play, people from the club's past are prone to coming out of the woodwork to talk about it. On Tuesday, long lost former Reds attacker Fernando Morientes discussed the club's upcoming Europa League bout with Villarreal, calling the Spanish side a force to be feared.

Villarreal are in fourth place in La Liga with a healthy plus-11 goal differential. So even though some Liverpool fans were happy to have drawn them in the semi-finals instead of Sevilla, they represent a real challenge, according to the ex-striker.

That's especially the case with the Reds missing numerous key pieces, including Mamadou Sakho, Jordan Henderson and Divock Origi for Thursday's game.

"For me, Villarreal is one of the best teams in La Liga at the moment. They have real quality," Morientes said, via to the Mirror. "They play very good football. They have a very strong mentality and the coach always tries to attack."

"They are a team to be feared, a very good team who will play in the Champions League next season for sure, and will do well in the competition."