Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will look to make it six wins in a row in La Liga when they hit the road to square up against unbeaten Villarreal.
Both Villarreal and Barcelona have made a sensational start to the new season. The Blaugrana have won all of their league games, while the home team are unbeaten with three wins and two draws. It promises to be a mouthwatering clash between two top teams.
Villarreal started with a draw against Atletico Madrid but then went on to win two in a row before playing out a draw against Valencia. They were on the verge of dropping points against ten-man Mallorca. But thanks to Ayoze Perez’s injury-time winner, they came out with all three points.
The game against Barcelona will come with bigger challenges for Villarreal, and they will have to be at their best if they want to come out with something from this fixture. The Catalan giants have enjoyed a dream start to the new season as they have won each of their first five league games. Hansi Flick got them playing an attacking and attractive brand of football.
Just when people started to expect things from the Spanish giants, it all came crashing down against AS Monaco in their first Champions League fixture. They were reduced to ten men after Eric Garcia was sent off in the 10th minute and were playing catch-up post that. Eventually, they lost 2-1.
Flick was not pleased with Barcelona’s performance, and he will be eager to return to winning ways. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Villarreal
Villarreal will be without the services of Juan Foyth, Alfonso Pedraza, Willy Kambwala, and Gerard Moreno for this fixture against Barcelona. The home team had a decent outing last time out, and Marcelino will be tempted to go ahead with an unchanged XI.
Villarreal will line up in a 4-4-2 formation with Diego Conde in goal. Kiko Femenia and Sergi Cardona will feature as the full-backs, while Raul Albiol and Logan Costa will start in a central role in defence.
Ilias Akhomach and Alex Baena will feature out wide on the flanks. They will look to support the full-backs and also join the attack when possible. Santi Comesana will start alongside Dani Parejo in a more central role in midfield. Ayoze Perez who has made a sensational start to his Villarreal career will start up top with Thierno Barry.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Conde; Femenia, Albiol, Costa, Sergi Cardona; Akhomach, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; Perez, Barry
Barcelona
The away side will be without quite a few first-team players as Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Fermin Lopez, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, and Andreas Christensen are still on the sidelines this weekend.
Meanwhile, Ferran Torres is suspended from this fixture following his red card in their last league outing. However, Eric Garcia, who was sent off in the UEFA Champions League outing earlier this week, is available and should start here.
Marc Casado did pick up a knock in the game against AS Monaco. However, the youngster should be fit in time to start. Flick will stick to the 4-3-3 formation for this fixture with Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal.
Jules Kounde will start as the right-back, while Alejandro Balde will start on the left. In the heart of the defence, Pau Cubarsi will pair up with Inigo Martinez. Eric Garcia will feature in the centre of the park and he will have the support of Marc Casado and Pedri.
The trio will look to control the tempo and ensure they have the majority of the ball. The in-form Lamine Yamal will start on the right flank, while Raphinha will take charge on the left. Star striker Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for Barcelona against Villarreal.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; Casado, Eric Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won each of their first five league games.
- Villarreal are unbeaten in the 2024/25 La Liga season with three wins and two draws.
- The Blaugrana lost their last outing 5-3 to Villarreal and will be eager to avenge that loss.
- Villarreal have not defeated Barcelona on their home soil since October 2007.
- Barcelona registered a 4-3 win over the Yellow Submarine in the corresponding fixture.
Player to Watch
Raphinha
While there was a lot of talk about the future of Raphinha throughout the summer, he was focused on doing his best for the Catalan giants. The Brazilian international has made an impressive start to the new season with three goals and three assists in their six outings. He will be eager to add to it on Sunday when Barcelona face Villarreal.
Prediction
Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona
The home team are unbeaten in La Liga; it has been a great start for them, and they have surely played some impressive football so far. But, given the kind of form Barcelona have been under Hansi Flick, Villarreal are expected to have a tough day at the office.
After suffering a defeat at the hands of AS Monaco, the away side will go all out for three points in this outing, and they should get the job done. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the table toppers.