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Marcelino: Anfield atmosphere will lift us

Cape Town - Villarreal manager Marcelino claims his side will be motivated to beat Liverpool in the second leg of their Europa league semi-final tie on Thursday night.

The Yellow Submarine hold a 1-0 advantage over the Reds following their last-gasp victory at El Madrigal last Thursday and Marcelino feels the electrifying Anfield atmosphere will only serve to inspire them to a positive result.

"It is a real pleasure to play here," he said in the pre-match press conference.

"We come here full of hope, we are going to give everything we have got and we will enjoy ourselves. We feel we have the capabilities to make it through to the final.

"This group of players needs to be proud of what they have achieved as we are already qualified for the Champions League.

"This is an occasion to be celebrated. In no way whatsoever will we be affected negatively by the atmosphere, if anything we will be affected positively and galvanised by it.

"We will suffer at moments in the game, we will find it tough but we can cause them trouble. The game will be decided by the team who are more assured at key moments in the game."

Marcelino admits he is anticipating a more direct approach from the Merseysiders on their home turf, but is ready to exploit their weaknesses.

"I think we will see a different Liverpool," he said. "They will try to press us further up the field. I think they may be a bit more direct than they were (in Spain).

"I think we might possibly see a new system and a change in personnel. All those factors will not affect us in any way.

"We think we know how Liverpool can be dangerous to us and we also know where we can cause problems in their weaker areas.

"Liverpool as a club have an extraordinary squad of footballers when you consider (Christian) Benteke cost 50million euros."

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