1 Villarreal vs 5 FC Barcelona
Barcelona back in La Liga after shock UCL defeat to Monaco.
Excitement builds for Villarreal vs. Barcelona at Estadio de la Ceramica this Sunday, as the unbeaten Yellow Submarine seeks to capitalize on their strong start against a resilient Barcelona eager to bounce back from a European setback.
Villarreal
In their last La Liga outing, Villarreal clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory over Mallorca. Ayoze Pérez netted a stoppage-time winner (90+4') after veteran defender Raúl Albiol's own goal (57' O.G.) had initially levelled the scoreline.
The Yellow Submarine remains unbeaten in the league, sitting 4th with 11 points. They will be eager to seize the opportunity against a Barcelona side still smarting from their European setback.
Although Villarreal have managed to win two of their last five league meetings with Barcelona (2W, 0D, 3L), those victories both came away from home. Historically, the Yellow Submarine has found it difficult against the Blaugranas, failing to win in their previous 25 encounters before the recent victories (0W, 6D, 19L).
Villarreal's strong start to the season inspires optimism, as their tally of 11 points from five games is their best opening to a campaign since 2015/16, a season in which they finished 4th. Marcelino García will likely deploy a 4—4—2 formation, with Ayoze Pérez and Thierno Barry leading the line.
Despite Alfonso Pedraza's return to training, his participation in the upcoming match is uncertain. Meanwhile, Juan Foyth and Willy Kambwala remain sidelined.
FC Barcelona
Barcelona, meanwhile, are eager to put their 2-1 loss to Monaco behind them. An early red card to Eric García in the 10th minute shifted the momentum in favour of the French side.
Despite the loss, manager Hansi Flick remained optimistic, stating, "I'm proud of this team, and I’m optimistic about the future. We have to accept the loss, but we still have seven games to go, and I'm confident we'll bounce back."
With 15 points from five games, Barcelona will aim for their sixth consecutive La Liga win, a feat they’ve achieved seven times in club history, most recently in the 2017/18 season. The Blaugranas boast an enviable record against teams from the Valencia region, remaining unbeaten in their last 15 away games (13 wins, 2 draws) since a 2-0 defeat to Valencia in January 2020.
Additionally, Barcelona have an outstanding record at Villarreal's home ground, avoiding defeat in their last 15 visits (11 wins, 4 draws). Hansi Flick is expected to field a 4-2-3-1 formation, with La Liga’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski spearheading the attack.
Unfortunately, Ferran Torres will be unavailable due to suspension following a red card in the 4-1 win over Girona in the Catalan derby. Furthermore, Dani Olmo and six other players will miss out due to injuries.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.