Unai Emery insists facing a former club is nothing new to him as he aims to steer Villarreal to a first European final at the expense of previous employers Arsenal.
Villarreal made it through to the last four of the Europa League thanks to a 3-1 aggregate triumph over Dinamo Zagreb, who were surprise conquerors of Tottenham in the previous round.
After converting a penalty in the first leg to put the LaLiga side in control of the quarter-final tie, Gerard Moreno was on target again in a 2-1 win on Thursday to make it six goals in his past five outings in the competition.
Next up will be Arsenal, a club where Emery spent 18 months in charge. He reached the Europa League final with the Gunners in May 2019 but was sacked before the end of the calendar year.
"First of all, I'm used to meeting former teams so playing Arsenal, where I coached, is nothing new as an experience. We'll face up to it with humility, pride and responsibility," Emery said.
"This is a chance to establish Villarreal on the top rung of European football.
"The key thing is for us to enjoy what we've done so far and enjoy the opportunity to break our record of reaching semi-finals but not then going on to the European finals."
Emery's current side did concede on home soil when Mislav Orsic pulled a goal back in the second half for Dinamo, though Villarreal comfortably held on to seal their progression.
The final margin of victory could easily have been greater, too; the impressive Samuel Chukwueze - who set up the opener for Paco Alcacer - twice hit the post.
"We tried not to lose the ball cheaply to allow Dinamo to counter," Emery said of the performance.
"We tried to be patient and control the game, to prevent Dinamo creating goal chances, and when it was 2-1, you could see what they were made of and how they knocked Tottenham out.
"Across the two matches, justice was done and we deserved to be in the semi-finals."
The first leg against Arsenal will take place in Spain on April 29, with Emery's Villarreal then visiting Emirates Stadium the following week in the return fixture.
Arteta wins fourth Premier League manager of the month award of the season
Mikel Arteta has been named the Premier League manager of the month for the fourth time this season after an unbeaten March.
The Arsenal boss collects the award as the Premier League leaders celebrated a perfect month that saw them extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points over Manchester City, while Bukayo Saka's involvement in that run has seen him win the player of the month trophy.
The Gunners scored 14 goals and conceded just three in their four league games in March, with victories over Everton, Bournemouth, Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Having won 4-0 against Everton, Arsenal then salvaged a dramatic 3-2 victory against relegation-threatened Bournemouth courtesy of Reiss Nelson's injury-time winner.
A rampant first-half display saw them beat Fulham 3-0 before another convincing 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace prior to the international break.
The award also marks a clean sweep for the north London side, with Saka taking home the player of the month award after his three goals and two assists in March.
Arteta fought off competition for this month's award from Brighton and Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi, Aston Villa's Unai Emery and City's Pep Guardiola.
The award is Arteta's fourth of the season having also won it in August, November and January.
The Spaniard is now just one off the record of five awards set by Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp in the 2019-20 season.
Barcelona in contact with Messi as vice president talks up prospect of Camp Nou return
Barcelona are in contact with Lionel Messi and would "love" the Argentina star to make a dream return to Camp Nou, according to the club's vice president Rafael Yuste.
Messi is in the final few months of his two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain, having joined the Ligue 1 giants when a financial crisis forced him to leave Barca in 2021.
The World Cup winner has scored 18 goals and added 17 assists this season, but with PSG falling short in the Champions League, doubts have arisen concerning his future in the French capital.
While David Beckham-owned Inter Miami are keen to take Messi to MLS, Barcelona have often been linked with a move for their all-time leading goalscorer, and Yuste refused to rule out a reunion on Friday.
"Of course we are in contact with Messi," Yuste said on Friday. "Leo and his family know the affection I have for him, that we have them.
"I participated in the negotiations that did not come to fruition two years ago. I have that thorn stuck in me, and if we talk about La Masia, we talk about Leo.
"I would love for him to come back and I think the fans would too, because beautiful stories in life have to have a happy ending.
"We are in love with Messi and I think Messi is in love with Barca and the city of Barcelona."
Any potential return for Messi may be dependent on Barca's ability to cut their wage bill, with LaLiga president Javier Tebas claiming they must save €200million to meet the competition's regulations for next season.
If the required savings can be made, Yuste believes a move for Messi is possible, adding: "Mateu [Alemany] and Jordi [Cruyff] have to present the viability and income plan to Tebas in two months.
"If all the conditions are given, we would explore that possibility. The president [Joan Laporta] was with Leo's father recently and there is a good relationship.
"Of course, there is no attack plan because I do not want PSG to take it as that. If this happens, it will happen because destiny makes you go back to where you have to go back.
"If we could put all the conditions together and return Leo to Barcelona, it would be the perfect ending to a very happy story."
'Not the time' to discuss Messi return at Barcelona – Xavi
Xavi insisted it is not the time to talk about a potential reunion with Lionel Messi as Barcelona close in on the LaLiga title.
Having already secured the Supercopa de Espana, the club's first silverware since Messi's departure in 2021, Barcelona have a commanding 12-point lead in LaLiga and hold a 1-0 lead in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid.
A potential treble remains on the cards for Xavi's side, but with Messi now in the final months of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, the clamour to bring the Argentina World Cup winner back to Camp Nou is growing.
While Xavi is understandably keen to bring his former team-mate back to Barcelona, he is focused on upcoming matches and not potential transfer activity.
"I think this is not the time to talk about Messi's return. I talk to Leo often, I have a friendship, but this is not the time," he told reporters ahead of facing Elche.
"Neither for his sake nor for that of the club. It is a subject that is being discussed, I have a lot of contact with him.
"Hopefully, we can see him again here, I would be the first one who would be made happy. He is the best player in history, but boy, it's not the time.
"We are a month away from winning two titles, and it's time to focus.
"It doesn't depend on me, it depends much more on what Leo wants to do. He's done everything in football, he's won everything; it depends on his happiness.
"I have a great relationship with him, and if he has the decision that he wants to come back, we will listen to him and be delighted.
"We're going to listen to fate. Let's see what happens, there's nothing yet. Let's see the will he has.
"We do a disservice to Leo, the team, the club. We are one step away from achieving success in the post-Messi era that scared us so much. This is success."
Pressed further on Messi and next season, Xavi again sought to shift the focus towards the push for further silverware in this campaign.
"We haven't talked about next year with the board," he said. "We are one step away from winning titles and you talk to me about signings next year. You are specialists in changing the subject.
"On Wednesday, we can go to the Copa final. Everything is to be won.
"Sometimes I do not understand you [the media]. All year round, the talk is to win titles, and now that we are one step away, we talk about players for next season. Let's focus on Elche."
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