Barcelona will look to return to winning ways when they host Villarreal in La Liga after being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club.
Relegation-threatened Villarreal are all set to hit the road to square up against the defending champions Barcelona who are looking to secure their 14th win in the league. While the Catalan giants have done a decent job in La Liga, their overall form has been a concern and they will look to return to winning ways when they host the 14th-placed team.
The Catalan giants are currently third in the league with 44 points out of their 20 matches. They have won 13 matches, drawn five and lost twice. Xavi’s team are eight points behind league leaders Girona with a game in hand and they can’t really afford any more slip-ups or they might be in for a trophyless season.
Barcelona have suffered two defeats in their last four matches in all competitions. They first lost to their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final and now they have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club. Despite dominating the ball, they couldn’t stop the opposition from creating chances. As a result, they ended up losing 4-2 in extra time.
They are not in the best of spaces and will look to turn things around against Villarreal who are currently 14th in the league with only 20 points out of their 21 matches. They are just five points clear of the drop zone and a few more defeats could make life difficult for them.
They haven’t won in their last three league games and will be hoping to return to winning ways by causing an upset against the Catalan giants. The visitors are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-1 draw against Mallorca. Despite dominating the ball and creating more chances, they couldn’t come out on top. Now, they will hope for an improved performance against the title contenders.
Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
The Catalan giants will be without the services of Andreas Christensen, Alejandro Balde, Raphinha, Inigo Martinez, Marcos Alonso, Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
While quite a few first-team players are out injured, they do have a boost as Ronald Araujo should be available despite the blow to his knee and Joao Cancelo should be back in the XI having recovered from a knee injury.
Xavi will stick to the 4-3-3 formation and Inaki Pena will continue in between the sticks. Sergi Roberto will be the right-back while Cancelo should feature as the left-back. In the heart of the defence, Araujo will feature alongside Jules Kounde.
The back four will look to keep a clean sheet whereas the midfield will look to dictate the pace of the game. Frenkie de Jong will feature in a holding role while Ilkay Gundogan and Pedri will be there to support him.
As far as the attack is concerned, Ferran Torres who has been in sensational form will feature as the left winger while teenager Lamine Yamal will take charge on the right. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pena; Roberto, Araujo, Kounde, Cancelo; Pedri, F de Jong, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres
Villarreal
The visitors will be without the services of Alfonso Pedraza, Ramon Terrats, Dani Parejo, Raul Albiol, Juan Foyth, Yeremy Pino and Denis Suarez. Pepe Reina is also unavailable because he picked up a red card in their last outing.
Marcelino could end up selecting the same XI that started in their last outing. They might not have won but they did create enough chances and given the number of injuries they have that XI might be their best possible chance against Barcelona.
Filip Jorgensen will continue in goal as the visitors will line up in a 4-4-2. The back four will be made up of Kiko Femenía, Eric Bailly, Jorge Cuenca and Alberto Moreno. Femenia and Moreno will take care of things out wide while Bailly and Cuenca will charge in the heart of the defence.
Ilias Akhomach and Alex Baena will feature outwide in the centre of the park. The duo will look to help out the full-backs as well as provide width to their attacks. Santi Comesaña and Francis Coquelin will feature in a more central role. They will look to control possession and not allow Barcelona to dominate the proceedings.
As far as the attack is concerned, Gerard Moreno will pair up with Alexander Sorloth.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Jorgensen; Femenia, Bailly, Cuenca, A Moreno; Akhomach, Comesana, Coquelin, Baena; G Moreno, Sorloth
Key Stats
- In the last 51 meetings between the two teams, Barcelona have come out on top on 31 occasions.
- Barcelona have won each of their last three games in the league. But, when it comes to all competitions, they have lost two out of their last four.
- Villarreal have only won one out of their last five league games. They have been winless in their last three league outings.
- The Catalan giants are the joint third-highest goal-scoring team in the division.
- The visitors have the joint second-worst defensive record in the league having conceded 42 goals in 21 outings.
Player to Watch
Lamine Yamal
Yamal did score in their 4-2 defeat at the hands of Athletic Club which resulted in the Catalan giants getting knocked out of the Copa del Rey. He was having a great game and did create quite a few chances. The teenager had a great opportunity to guide his team to the next round but he failed to fire one in an empty net.
It was a huge mistake that cost Barcelona big time but Yamal is still 16 and that mistake will surely help him improve further. Xavi is expected to start him in this fixture and he hopes the Spanish international can add to his eight-goal contributions and move on from that defeat.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-1 Villarreal
Barcelona might be heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-2 defeat but they have a lot of quality in their ranks that can help them return to winning ways. As far as Villarreal are concerned, they haven’t had the best of times so far this season. They have struggled to win games and that could be the story once again against the Catalan giants. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.
