Betting tips and odds for Villarreal vs Barcelona

Villarreal have seen their quest for Champions League qualification take a hit since the turn of the year. The Yellow Submarine head into Sunday’s clash with one win from their last five games across all competitions and four points behind Atlético Madrid in fourth.

Barcelona have opened up an eight-point gap at the top of the table, and they will look to extend the lead while Real Madrid are away at the Club World Cup. The Catalans have had a great domestic campaign so far, last losing a league game in October when they lost 3-0 to Real Madrid. Barcelona 

Here are some betting tips for this top Ligue 1 fixture.

*The odds were correct at time of posting

Barcelona are on a five-match winning streak in La Liga and are coming into this game off a 3-0 win over Sevilla. Xavi’s side have been great on the road this season, with the loss at Real Madrid being their only away defeat so far. The Catalans have won their last five La Liga fixtures on the road, conceding just one goal in those games.

Barcelona have won to nil in four of their last five away matches in La Liga, while they also won the first leg of this fixture by 3-0 at the Camp Nou. Given Villarreal’s recent struggles and Barcelona's solid defense, picking Barcelona to win without conceding is a great value at 3.25.

Barcelona are favorites to win this game, and they could do it without conceding. For this reason, having Barcelona to score first is a good bet. Also, in the last 10 meetings between Barcelona and Villarreal, the Catalans have scored first eight times. Coming into this game, Barcelona had scored the first goal in ten consecutive games.