'Yellow Submarine' stalks United

Unbeaten record
The Primera División team have an unbeaten record against English opposition in UEFA tournaments, and the 24-year-old believes Villarreal have what it takes to extend that run against the Premiership heavyweights, after overcoming Everton FC in the third qualifying round.

Attacking trio
"It was not easy to beat Everton, but I'm confident we can also get a good result in this game," Figueroa told uefa.com. "We realise this will be harder because we are facing former European champions with great players, but with Juan Román Riquelme, Diego Forlán and myself in attack, I think it will be very difficult for Manchester United to keep us under control for 90 minutes."

Riquelme role
Figueroa was unstinting in his praise of Argentina playmaker Riquelme. "He is Villarreal's heart and if he has one of his better days against United, he can cause them a great deal of damage," he said. "His pinpoint passes will split their defence at will if we can get him on the ball."

Forlán reborn
Former United forward Forlán had an indifferent time at Old Trafford, scoring ten goals in 63 games, but since moving to Spain he has found his feet. Forlán struck 25 Primera División goals last term to win the ESM Golden Shoe - but Figueroa was unsure whether the 26-year-old had anything to prove to United tonight.

Point to prove
Figueroa said: "Only Diego can say if he feels he has a point to prove. I think he is a very good player, but he left Manchester United for a reason. It's all in the past now, and I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson saw for himself last season that Diego Forlán was playing really well.

Regular football
"Probably the main reason for his improvement is that he's playing regular first-team football with Villarreal," he added. "He is spending more time on the pitch. Also, I think the language and way of life in Spain maybe suit him better than England. He's adapted to life really quickly here."

English misery
Figueroa himself had a miserable time in the Premiership following a big-money move from CA Rosario Central to Birmingham City FC in August 2003, making only two appearances before being loaned to CD Cruz Azul of Mexico. However, the Argentinian is not bitter about the experience.

Best forgotten
He said: "My brief stay in England with Birmingham City was a very hard time for me, but it made me more mature as a player and as a person. I prefer not to look back on it, because I have an opportunity to be successful with Villarreal and I want to grab it.

'We can go far'
"People have asked me how far I think Villarreal can go in the Champions League this year," he continued. "My answer is: 'How far did Liverpool go last season?'. I am sure we are capable of getting past the first phase and after that we'll see. If we play every match like it's a final we can go far."