Everton will play host to Spanish side Villarreal in a pre-season friendly at Goodison on August 5th. The Friday night fixture is the fourth to be announced and will provide a real test for Everton.The announcement will, of course, bring back bittersweet memories of the Champions League Qualifying round tie in 2005, when the 'best referee in the world', Pierluigi Collina, disallowed a perfectly good Duncan Ferguson header that would have taken the tie to extra time.
That year, 'El Submarino Amarillo' (the yellow submarine) reached the semi-finals of Europe's premier club compettiton where they were narrowly beaten by Arsenal.
Managed by Juan Carlos Garrido, last season saw them secure Champions League qualification as they finished 4th in La Liga, behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia. They will provide strong opposition for Everton just days before the start of the Premier League season, with a host of big names such as Nilmar, Guiseppe Rossi, Carlos Marchena and Joan Capdevilla.
It will be intriguing to see how we fare against a Champions League outfit, but let's just hope that Collina isn't the referee!
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