Iraola calls Liverpool’s Champions League meeting with friend Perez ‘special’

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said on Monday, October 19, that facing Villarreal coach Inigo Perez, his longtime friend and former assistant, would be a special occasion when the clubs meet in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday. Iraola described their relationship at a pre-match press conference, according to AFP.

Liverpool lists the October 20 fixture for 8 p.m. BST. The meeting puts the two coaches on opposing benches after a relationship that began during their playing days and continued when they worked together in Spain.

How Iraola and Perez came to work together

Iraola also tried to bring Perez to England when he took charge of Bournemouth. Perez came over, Iraola said, but did not receive a work permit. Iraola said he had challenged that decision at the time and was now happy to see his friend coaching Villarreal in the Champions League.

Why the friends have spoken less before the match

Iraola said he and Perez normally call to discuss La Liga, the Premier League, their families and other subjects. They have had less contact as Tuesday’s match has drawn closer, he said. ‘It is a privilege for me to face him in a Champions League game,’ Iraola said, adding that Perez knows him well.

The fixture also follows a domestic match for Liverpool. Football Muse reported that Liverpool beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday, with Victor Munoz scoring an equaliser on his ninth appearance for the club. The outlet reported that Munoz moved to right-back after Jeremie Frimpong was injured and that Dominik Szoboszlai was also sidelined.

For Iraola, the personal history makes Tuesday’s game unusual: Perez is now leading the side he must prepare Liverpool to face. Iraola said he follows Villarreal and knows its players, describing the prospect of meeting his friend as strange, but in a good way.