Rafa Benitez Returns to Anfield for Liverpool Villarreal Clash

Liverpool will welcome a familiar figure back to Anfield when former manager Rafa Benitez joins the television coverage of their Champions League meeting with Villarreal on Tuesday night. The Spanish coach will work as a pundit alongside Robbie Fowler and Daniel Sturridge, bringing together several figures from Liverpool's successful European campaign under Benitez.

According to reports published by Liverpool Echo and daveockop.com on October 20, 2026, the reunion comes as Liverpool seek a third consecutive Champions League victory after defeating Atletico Madrid and LASK. Another win would strengthen the club's prospects of advancing to the knockout stages.

Benitez managed Liverpool for six years and established a lasting connection with supporters by winning the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006. His team also reached the Champions League final in 2007 and challenged for the Premier League title in 2009.

Appointed ahead of the 2004-05 season after leaving Valencia, Benitez delivered European glory in his first campaign despite Liverpool finishing fifth in the Premier League. The victory in Istanbul secured the club's fifth European Cup and became the defining achievement of his tenure.

Fowler will share the broadcast with his former manager after returning to Liverpool under Benitez in January 2006. The striker had scored 171 goals in 330 appearances during his first spell before leaving for Leeds United in 2001, and his second Liverpool stint produced 12 goals in 39 appearances.

Fowler recalled that his relationship with Benitez began after Liverpool eliminated Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals in 2005. Speaking to Liverpool's official website earlier in 2026, he described approaching the manager at a gathering in Liverpool to express his desire to return.

"After that match was the first time I had met Rafa Benitez," Fowler recalled.

Fowler said he initially struggled to persuade Benitez, but received an unexpected opportunity less than a year later while playing for Manchester City. His return gave him another chance to represent his boyhood club before he eventually retired in 2012 after playing spells abroad in Australia and Thailand.

Reflecting on the emotional significance of his second spell at Anfield, Fowler emphasized the personal value of wearing Liverpool's shirt again.

"Getting that chance to return to Liverpool was the best thing that ever happened to me in football," Fowler said. "It was better than winning trophies.

"I got the chance to pull on a red shirt again and I probably appreciated it more. Rafa had said to me that he wanted me to come in and energise the players and the club and give everyone a lift - I'd like to think I did that."

The broadcast lineup will also feature presenter Gabby Logan and former Liverpool striker Sturridge. Benitez's return provides a link to a period when Liverpool re-established themselves among Europe's leading clubs through their continental success.

Another former Liverpool player connected to both clubs is Pepe Reina, who made 302 appearances for Liverpool under Benitez and played for Villarreal during two separate spells. Reina is now coaching Villarreal's Under-19 team, giving him another connection to the Spanish side ahead of the match at Anfield.

Villarreal's coaching setup also features a connection between former teammates, with Andoni Iraola set to face Inigo Perez, his former teammate and assistant, according to daveockop.com. Liverpool's immediate objective remains extending their winning run in the Champions League while Benitez watches from the broadcast team.