Villarreal vs Barcelona preview, prediction, team news, and head-to-head

Barcelona will continue their title defence and stand a chance to remain at the top of the La Liga table with a trip to the Estadio de la Cerámica to face Villarreal on Sunday afternoon.

Villarreal, who are surprisingly in the title race this season, will face an almost impossible task of defeating the La Liga leaders. Barcelona, on their part, will hope to leave no stone unturned as they keep up with the pace at the top of the table.

Villarreal vs Barcelona preview

Villarreal’s performance this season has been mind-blowing, particularly in La Liga, where they currently sit 3rd on the table. The Yellow Submarine have won their last 6 matches in the league, and trails Barcelona with 8 points, making them a top contender for the title.

However, Villarreal are unable to replicate this form on the global stage, where they have picked up only 1 point from their first 6 matches. They were also knocked out of the Copa del Rey in a 2-1 loss to Racing Santander in midweek.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are in the perfect shape to defend the title they won last season. Two late strikes from Raphinha were enough for Blaugrana to record a 2-0 win against Osasuna, after struggling in the first half.

With a 9th consecutive La Liga win in sight, Hansi Flick’s men will use this fixture as an opportunity to extend their lead on the table and take off some pressure from their host in the title race.

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Villarreal vs Barcelona head-to-head

Villarreal won the last match against Barcelona in a dramatic fashion that saw both teams score a total of 5 goals. However, the Catalan giants have a better H2H record against their host in the last 10 matches (W7, L3).

Whenever they meet, it is full of tense drama and plenty of goals. Five out of the last six matches between these two sides have produced over 2.5 goals.  Both teams have also scored in 4 of those 6 matches.

Villarreal vs Barcelona team news

Villarreal will likely be without a few key names for this high-stakes clash, but Marcelino has enough depth to shuffle his squad following their midweek Copa del Rey disappointment.

Ayoze Perez, in great scoring form, is set to lead the attack alongside Nicolas Pepe. In midfield, the experienced pairing of Pape Gueye and Dani Parejo should provide stability and creativity, while Juan Foyth is expected to slot back into the defence to help contain Barcelona’s pace on the flanks.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are still managing a handful of injuries, but the return of Frenkie de Jong has been a major boost, adding control and calm in the centre of the park. With Marc-André ter Stegen back in the squad, we will see if Flick will still have a need for the German for big games.

Up front, the explosive trio of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski are all fit and firing, having been the driving force behind Barca’s dominant attacking form this season. Rashford and Ferran Torres are also available to provide support in attack.

Villarreal vs Barcelona probable lineups

Villarreal (4-4-2): Junior; Navarro, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Parejo, Comesana, Moleiro; Perez, Mikautadze

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Balde; De Jong, E Garcia; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Torres

Villarreal vs Barcelona prediction and betting tips

Recent matches between Villarreal and Barcelona have been full of goals from both sides. While the odds on popular betting sites, including Livescorebet favours Barca, you can be sure that the home team will get at least one goal in this fixture.

Prediction: Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona

Betting tips:

• Bet on Barcelona to win

• Over 2.5 goals

• Anytime goal scorer - Raphinha