Both Villarreal and Barcelona managed to register their first win of the season last time out and will look to build on it on Sunday.
Villarreal are set to host defending champions Barcelona on Matchday 3 of the 2023/24 La Liga season. Both teams will be eager to replicate their performance from last weekend, having registered their first wins of the season.
The home team kicked off the new season with a defeat. They ended up on the wrong side of the result thanks to an injury-time winner by Willian Jose of Real Betis. Despite being the more dominant team on the pitch, they failed to fire in front of goal and ended up losing 2-1.
After an opening-day defeat at home, the Yellow Submarine squared up against RCD Mallorca away from home. They managed to put the disappointment of defeat against Betis aside and ended up winning 1-0. It was a clinical performance by the team as a whole, and they will look for a similar performance against Xavi’s men.
Meanwhile, Barcelona started the new season with a 0-0 draw against Getafe. Both teams saw a player get sent off in this high-voltage fixture. The Catalan giants had 75% of the ball, and they took almost three times the number of shots but still failed to find the back of the net.
While they dropped points in their first league outing of the season, the Catalan giants were the dominant team. In their second outing, they maintained their dominance and this time their performance in front of the goal was much better and they ended up winning 2-0.
After an impressive display last time out, the Spanish giants will hit the road to square up against Villarreal. Both teams are in decent form and it is expected to be a closely fought encounter. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Villarreal
Quique Setien will be without the services of Alberto Moreno and Francis Coquelin for this fixture as the duo are out injured. Meanwhile, there are doubts regarding the involvement of Yeremy Pino.
Last training session before #VillarrealBarça pic.twitter.com/KQIrC4B63C
— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) August 26, 2023
Setien is expected to keep a similar XI to the one that took the field against Mallorca last time out. He will stick with the 4-3-3, where Filip Jörgensen will be in goal. The centre-back pairing will consist of Matteo Gabbia and Jorge Cuenca. The duo will have a lot to do against a star-studded attack that will be led by Robert Lewandowski.
Juan Foyth, who has been linked with Barcelona, and Alfonso Pedraza will star out wide in defence as the full-backs. The duo might have a long day at work given the strength of the opposition wingers. Meanwhile, Ramon Terrats will be a part of the midfield three alongside Dani Parejo and Alex Baena.
Gerard Moreno and Ben Brereton Díaz will provide the width to their attacks. The duo will star out wide and look to stretch to oppositions and at times, they will cut inside and allow the full-backs to make overlapping runs. Leading the line for the home team will be Alexander Sorloth.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Jorgensen; Foyth, Gabbia, Cuenca, Pedraza; Terrats, Parejo, Baena; Gerard Moreno, Sorloth, Brereton
Barcelona
Xavi Hernandez will be without a few important players for this fixture, Raphinha will miss the match as he serves his second of two-game ban because of the red card against Getafe. Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo and Pedri are out injured and won’t be fit until early October. Inigo Martinez has a race against time to prove his fitness and make it into the squad.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 25, 2023
The Catalan giants are expected to stick to the 3-4-3 formation that was used in the last outing. Marc-Andre ter Stegen will continue in goal. The back three in front of him will consist of Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Frenkie de Jong.
De Jong did a great job in the last outing and with Araujo injured and Martinez not yet fully fit, he is expected to continue in defence. 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal will continue as the right wing-back, while Alejandro Balde will take care of things on the left.
Oriol Romeu will pair up with Ilkay Gundogan in the centre of the park. The duo might be at the early stage of their career in Barcelona. But they have a world of experience and will look to dictate the pace of this fixture. In attack, Gavi will be on the right flank and Ferran Torres will be on the left. And, the Polish international Robert Lewandowski will be leading the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Christensen, De Jong; Yamal, Romeu, Gundogan, Balde; Torres, Lewandowski, Gavi
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won 20 out of their last 48 matches against Villarreal.
- Villarreal registered three consecutive league wins against Barcelona between 2007 and 2008. But, post that they have only won one out of 28 matches against the Catalan giants.
- Xavi’s team have been unbeaten in their last 14 away matches against the Yellow Submarine.
- The home team have lost 28 matches against Barcelona in the history of La Liga, the most that they have suffered against any opponent.
- Villarreal are on a two-match winless run at home in the league. Failure to win this fixture could make it their first three-match winless streak at home since February 2021.
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski was the top scorer in La Liga last season. He was one of the major reasons for the dominance of the Catalan giants as they ended up winning the title with ease. Despite playing the entire 180 minutes in their first two fixtures of the season, the Polish international is yet to find the back of the net.
But, given the kind of form he has been in over the past few seasons, the former Bayern Munich talisman could still be the deciding factor in this away fixture. And, he will be eager to get on the score sheet as soon as possible.
Prediction
Villarreal 2-2 Barcelona
Both Villarreal and Barcelona are heading into this fixture on the back of a win. They did not get off to a perfect start in the 2023/24 season but have brought things back on track and would love to continue their winning run.
While Barcelona are a team full of superstars, the home team also has a decent squad full of quality. On paper, the Catalan giants might have the edge but on the pitch, there might not be a lot to separate the two teams. And, with a few of Xavi’s key players unavailable for this fixture they might not be able to get the desired result. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw between the two teams.
