- Barcelona have won 14 of their 18 home La Liga games this season, scoring 50 goals.
- Villarreal have won 10 of their 18 away La Liga matches this season.
- Barcelona have won two of the last three La Liga meetings with Villarreal, who won the other.
The clash of styles between Hans-Dieter Flick’s high-octane, possession-based Barcelona and Marcelino Garcia’s compact, counter-attacking Villarreal CF should make for a fascinating watch on Sunday. The bookmakers have Barca as the firm favorites at -109 for this La Liga matchup, but the visitors could make it close. Flick has brought a fresh tactical approach to the club since his appointment at the end of May 2024 and Barca are in excellent form, winning three, drawing one and losing one of their last five in all competitions. The most recent of those was a 4-3 home win over Real Madrid that showed the hosts have the attacking flair to score goals when they need to. Lamine Yamal brings energy and spark to the frontline, but the real danger man is Robert Lewandowski, who leads the La Liga scoring charts for Barca with 25 goals in 31 appearances. Raphinha has been on fire recently with four goals in his last five appearances, as well as providing the creativity that Barca need in the final third.
Villarreal are having a great season under Marcelino, who has turned them into a European contender since taking over in November 2023. They sit fifth in the table on 61 points from 35 games and have won three, drawn one and lost only one of their last five in all competitions. That run has included a win at Girona and a home win over Osasuna, but their form away from home is even better with ten wins in 18 La Liga games. Nicolas Pepe has been a key provider with three assists in the last five, but Ayoze Perez is their main threat up top with 16 La Liga goals in 28 appearances, including three in his last five games. Yeremy Pino can be a match-winner for Villarreal on his day and is always a threat on the counter-attack, but Barca’s home record and firepower should see them through. However, the bookies have them at a short enough price that we’re taking Barcelona to win 2-1 at +750.
