Villarreal Recall Buchanan for Liverpool Champions League Clash

Villarreal have received a boost ahead of their UEFA Champions League visit to Liverpool, with Canadian winger Tajon Buchanan returning to full training while Nicolas Pépé continues his recovery from eye surgery. Buchanan rejoined the squad on Monday, October 19, after approximately two weeks out with a muscle injury, although his availability for Tuesday's match at Anfield initially remained subject to a fitness assessment. According to Spanish outlet Comuniate, Buchanan's return to team training marked an important step toward his comeback after he sustained the injury while representing Canada earlier in October.

Villarreal's coaching staff needed to evaluate his physical response before determining whether he could feature against the Premier League side. Pépé, meanwhile, remained outside the group as he recovered from an eye operation. Reports from Comuniate and GiveMeSport indicated that the forward had been absent from collective training for nearly two weeks, with no confirmed return date provided ahead of the Liverpool fixture.

Canadian outlet Canadian Soccer Daily subsequently reported on October 20 that Buchanan would start against Liverpool, while fellow Canadian Nathan Saliba was also named in Villarreal's midfield. The update followed Buchanan's return to training and provided a more definitive indication of his availability than the earlier fitness assessment.

Villarreal entered the match after recording their first Champions League victory of the season, defeating Napoli 3-1 in their previous European fixture. The Spanish club had opened its campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund before responding with the home win, which included a goal from Canadian striker Tani Oluwaseyi. Oluwaseyi had started Villarreal's weekend LaLiga match against Elche, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Canadian Soccer Daily reported that he would not start against Liverpool, while Saliba was selected after spending the weekend match on the bench.

Liverpool began their Champions League campaign with victories over Atlético Madrid and LASK, winning 2-1 against the Spanish club on September 9 before recording a 6-3 victory over the Austrian side. The result against LASK included a hat trick from Bradley Barcola, according to Canadian Soccer Daily. The meeting at Anfield was the clubs' fifth overall encounter and their third in Liverpool, according to Canadian Soccer Daily. Liverpool had won their previous three meetings, including their two-legged Champions League semifinal against Villarreal in 2022, when the English side advanced 5-2 on aggregate after winning 2-0 at home and 3-2 away.

The clubs had also met in the 2016 UEFA Europa League semifinals. Villarreal won the first leg 1-0, but Liverpool overturned the deficit with a 3-0 victory at Anfield to progress. GiveMeSport reported that Liverpool had won six of their previous seven home matches against Spanish opposition over the preceding five years, with Real Madrid the only Spanish team to defeat them at Anfield during that period, in 2023.

Villarreal faced a demanding schedule following the Liverpool match, with LaLiga fixtures against Valencia and Espanyol and a Copa del Rey tie against fifth-tier side CE Manacor. Their next Champions League opponent was Paris Saint-Germain, scheduled for November 3, according to Canadian Soccer Daily.