Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp labelled Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery "king of the cup competitions" after the Reds set up a Champions League semi-final tie with the Spanish side.
Klopp's team played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Benfica to seal a 6-4 aggregate victory in their quarter-final tie on Wednesday, reaching the competition's final four for a joint-record 12th time amongst English clubs (level with Manchester United).
They will meet Villarreal in next round after Emery's men sealed an incredible 2-1 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich one day earlier, setting up their first Champions League semi-final appearance since the 2005-06 season after Samuel Chukwueze's late equaliser in Bavaria.
Speaking to DAZN in Germany after watching his much-changed side progress at Anfield, Klopp was wary of the threat posed by Villarreal in the next round, calling Emery the "king" of the cups and noting they deserved their spot in the last four after eliminating two top-class opponents.
"I think Villarreal definitely deserved to go through both rounds," he said. "Whoever kicks out Bayern and Juventus [a 4-1 aggregate win in the last-16] deserves to be in the semi-finals.
"I know that Unai Emery is a bit of the king of cup competitions. It's incredible what he pulls off.
"They'll have a clear plan. And by the time we meet, we'll have one too."
Emery has earned a reputation as a cup specialist throughout his career, winning four Europa League titles with Sevilla (three) and Villarreal (one), as well as lifting seven trophies during his time with Paris Saint-Germain.
The former Arsenal boss will compete in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time later this month, advancing to this stage in his seventh season in the competition.
Klopp, meanwhile, has reached the final four for the fourth time in his career, three of which have come with the Reds (the other with Borussia Dortmund). Only Sir Alex Ferguson has reached this stage more times (seven) as the manager of an English club.
Meanwhile, Liverpool's two meetings with Villarreal will take place either side of a Premier League trip to Newcastle on April 30, and Klopp made clear his frustration at having to face an early kick-off on Tyneside between the two legs.
"I've just spoken to BT Sport [who will televise the Newcastle game] and pointed out to them again that this is a c**p kick-off time," Klopp added.
"We want to play all the games that are coming up, no problem at all. But it doesn't have to be that they let us play 12:30 on Saturdays and then see how it goes, for no reason. I will never understand that."
The 54-year-old did, however, acknowledge that Liverpool's congested fixture list was the result of an exceptional season to date, and was something to be embraced.
"It's the best end-of-season run you can have," he added. "Because we only play so many times because we get so far in the different competitions."
Liverpool remain in the hunt for a historic quadruple after overcoming Benfica, and face Premier League title rivals Manchester City for a place in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Wolves handed Nunes boost as midfielder has red card overturned
Wolves will have Matheus Nunes available for their next three matches after their appeal to the Football Association (FA) was upheld.
Nunes, an unused substitute, was sent off late on in Wolves' 4-2 home defeat to fellow strugglers Leeds United on Saturday.
The Portugal international had been remonstrating with the officials over the decision to allow Leeds' fourth goal, scored by Rodrigo, to stand despite what appeared to be a foul by Marc Roca in the build-up.
Julen Lopetegui confirmed Nunes was complaining about the linesman and that they would appeal the decision, with referee Michael Salisbury having incorrectly sent the midfielder off for violent conduct, which would have resulted in him missing games against Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Brentford.
Wolves will be without Jonny, however, after the defender was sent off for a lunge on Luke Ayling.
The defeat left Wolves in 13th place in the Premier League, one point above Leeds and just three clear of the relegation zone.
Lopetegui thought his side were hard done by, with the former Spain coach claiming Wolves should have had a penalty.
"I'm not waiting for [further apologies]. I just want them [the officials] to do their job," he said.
De Bruyne confirmed as new Belgium captain
Belgium have confirmed Kevin De Bruyne will serve as their new captain.
Manchester City star De Bruyne takes over from Eden Hazard, who announced his retirement from international football in December following Belgium's group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup.
That elimination marked the end of Roberto Martinez's time in charge, and De Bruyne will be tasked with leading the side under the stewardship of new coach Domenico Tedesco.
De Bruyne has won 97 caps for Belgium, scoring 25 goals.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and striker Romelu Lukaku, on loan at Inter from Chelsea, have been named as vice-captains.
Belgium will begin their campaign to qualify for Euro 2024 on Friday when they face Sweden in Stockholm. They have also been drawn alongside Austria, Azerbaijan and Estonia in Group F.
Tedesco's men face Euro 2024 hosts Germany in a friendly on March 28.
Arsenal defender Tomiyasu to miss remainder of season with knee injury
Takehiro Tomiyasu will miss the remainder of Arsenal's push for the Premier League title due to a knee injury.
The Japan international was withdrawn in the opening exchanges of the Gunners' Europa League clash with Sporting CP last week, with Mikel Arteta's side losing that game on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium.
Following Arsenal's 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, Arteta conceded the situation was "not looking good" for the defender.
It has now been confirmed that Tomiyasu will be out for the rest of the campaign after the 24-year-old underwent surgery.
A statement from the club read: "Following his substitution during last Thursday's Europa League match, subsequent assessments have confirmed that Takehiro Tomiyasu sustained a significant injury to his right knee.
"Tomi has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of the season.
"Everyone at the club will now be working hard with Tomi, so he can join pre-season training ahead of next season."
Tomiyasu featured in 21 matches across all competitions this season for Arsenal, who are hunting their first Premier League title since the 2003-04 season, though just six were as a starter, with Ben White establishing himself as first-choice on the right side.
The Gunners hold an eight-point lead over Manchester City, who have a game in hand, with 10 matches to play.
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