Important matches will be played in European football’s top divisions this weekend, including a Merseyside Derby that excites followers of the English Premier League. You can read our in-depth preview of Liverpool v Everton elsewhere on this site, but for this article, we focus on the main attraction from Spain. Villarreal welcomes Barcelona to town, with both teams needing all three points to strengthen their chances of success this term. The hosts are pushing for a top-four finish, but improvement is required. Barcelona is top of the league, enjoys a stunning winning run, and appears to fear no opponent as they blaze a trail of glory to the title.
This match is scheduled to be played at the home of Villarreal on Sunday, with a 20:00 GMT kick-off time confirmed. The capacity crowd in attendance will be boosted by the millions of armchair fans worldwide who follow the play through the best live streams or TV coverage. We have high hopes for an exciting, free-flowing, and energetic game with a fair share of goals and even more talking points. But will we see Villarreal give their fans reason to cheer, or will another three points edge Barca closer to wrestling the title from Real Madrid? Make your predictions or keep reading as we bring you news on the form, figures, and betting.
The head-to-head stats show these teams are no strangers to meeting on the big stage. Barca boasts the lion’s share of wins in this fixture, claiming victory in 30 of the 49 recorded meetings. The visitors are also pushing for a double over Sunday’s opponents after beating them at the Camp Nou in October, easing to a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Fati and a Lewandowski double. Will we see more of the same in this renewal, or can Villarreal level the scores for this campaign? Keep reading for all the information you need to predict how this game might finish.
Villarreal suffers back-to-back losses
Villarreal started the week in fifth place with the ambition of finishing in the top four and securing their passage to the UEFA Champions League next season. The riches on offer when competing against the cream of the continent would have a huge impact on Villarreal’s finances, helping them to attract a higher caliber of players and put together a plan that would see them, perhaps, take a shot at trying to win the title. But that is far off in the distance at present, nothing more than a pipe dream for the team, although every win takes them a step closer to realizing their lofty ambitions.
The home team prepares for this match with their recent form showing nine wins, four draws, and seven defeats, with 22 goals scored and 17 conceded. Their points tally of 31 means it’s unlikely Villarreal will challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid for pole position in La Liga this season. Their main aim is to break into the top four and have their sights set on tracking down Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid. The easiest way to make up ground on the major performers is to beat the league leaders. Doing so would catch the attention of football fans worldwide, showing they mean business. Villarreal may not win the league title this spring, but they are good enough to have a say in which team does finish with the trophy in their possession. A home win would dent the hopes of their opponents.
Despite their lofty league position, Villarreal has lost each of their last two games, failing to take a point from the six available to them. That saw the home team fall off the pace, but they can’t afford to reflect on that double defeat as Barcelona are the next opponent. Villarreal must dust themselves down, learn from the losses and come back stronger than ever. The fans will demand a response from their players, pushing Barca hard, creating chances, and scoring goals. Don’t expect to see the locals roll over for their high-earning opponents, as they are here to win.
Barca is back with a bang
Barcelona suffered a nightmare season last year when the effects of a transfer embargo were felt hard by everyone connected to the Camp Nou. With the team forced to balance the books in an attempt to avoid falling foul of the financial fair play regulations, Lionel Messi was sacrificed and shipped off to French Ligue 1 champion PSG where he now shares a team with the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. That was a bitter pill to swallow for the support, but results have picked up again, and complaints are now few and far between.
The visitors arrive for this match on the back of a jaw-dropping run of form that has seen them win each of their last five games, collecting a maximum of 15 points. They are in pole position with 53 points on the board, sitting comfortably ahead of last season’s champions, Real Madrid, on 45 points. Each win moves FCB a step closer to the title and what would be a historic achievement. Barca isn’t short on recent success, but if they were to win the trophy this year, it would rank as the club’s most crucial league win in history, given the circumstances and what they had to come through over the last 18 months.
We last saw Barcelona in action a week ago when they hammered Sevilla 3-0 at home, with the goals that mattered that day scored by Alba, Gavi, and Raphinha. The final score gives the league leaders the impression of an easy win, but they had to dig deep to get it with the game remaining goalless until just shy of the hour mark. Barca was patient that day, and we expect a similar showing here. The visitors will set up to attack, forcing the issue, creating chances, and scoring goals. And they have the players to make it happen.
Villarreal v Barcelona prediction
Barcelona is the away team with the crowd against them, but that shouldn’t make too much difference. If they can continue the form and performances we’ve seen from them since returning from the World Cup break, Barca will have a great chance.
La Liga odds
Villarreal can be backed at 3.94 to win this game with Barcelona, the 1.85 favorites, and the draw 3.86.
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