'Anfield is hell' - Etienne Capoue on playing in the world famous stadium

Villarreal's Étienne Capoue has talked about Anfield ahead of the Champions League semi-final tonight.

Speaking before tonight's game on Merseyside, as cited by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, former Watford and Tottenham player, Capoue, called Anfield 'hell'.

"Anfield is hell, you have to say it how it is," said Capoue. "It's hell. It's the worst stadium I've been to in England. Whether it's the atmosphere, the way they play. For 90 minutes, you live in hell.

"They have this ability to transcend themselves, to cause you nothing but problems, all the time, in any part of the field.

"They never stop, they rush you all the time, they only want to score goals, and even when they score, they carry on. They want to knock you out. They don't care what or who is in front of them. They just want to kill everyone and that's it."

Anfield Watch Verdict

It's refreshing to see an opposition player talk about Anfield like this. We've seen before, especially in Champions League knockout games, that some players try and downplay the atmosphere and effect of Anfield.

Kevin De Bruyne did it before they faced Liverpool in the quarter-final of the Champions League in 2018 and that backfired massively.

We also saw it with Bayern Munich and Roma players the season that we won the competition. It usually never ends well if you say that the event won't get to your team.

Saying that, Capoue has played at Anfield many times before, either with Watford or Tottenham. However, he will not of experienced the atmosphere of the Champions League knockout stage at Anfield.

Champions League nights at Anfield are different to your standard 3pm kick-off in the Premier League. The fans know how important this prestigious competition is and they give their all for the 90 minutes straight.

Underdogs or favourites, Anfield is always bouncing under the lights on a European night.