Villarreal will host Barcelona at El Madrigal in La Liga on Sunday. Both teams remain unbeaten in their league campaigns so far, with the home side winning three of their five matches, while Barcelona has maintained a perfect record.
Villarreal vs Barcelona: Preview
Villarreal and Barcelona have both kicked off the season impressively. Barcelona have won all their league matches, while Villarreal remains unbeaten with three victories and two draws. This sets up an exciting encounter between two top teams.
Villarreal began their campaign with a draw against Atletico Madrid, followed by back-to-back wins before another draw with Valencia. They nearly dropped points against ten-man Mallorca but secured a late win thanks to Ayoze Perez’s injury-time goal.
Villarreal vs Barcelona: Match Details
Match: Barcelona Vs Villarreal
Date & Time: September 22, 2024 at 5;30 pm UK
Stadium: Estadio de la Ceramica
Villarreal vs Barcelona: Team News & Head-to-Head
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Barcelona
For Barcelona, Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi are all sidelined due to injuries. Ferran Torres is suspended following his red card against Girona last weekend, but Eric Garcia is available and expected to start despite his early red card in the Champions League match against Monaco.
Marc Casado, who suffered a late knock in the Monaco game, is fit and will start against Villarreal. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Yamal, in outstanding form with four goals and four assists in six games, will feature in the starting lineup again.
Villarreal
Villarreal will be missing four players due to injury for their match against Barcelona, with Willy Kambwala, Gerard Moreno, Juan Foyth, and Alfonso Pedraza all sidelined. Ayoze Perez has enjoyed a strong start to his Villarreal career, netting three goals in five league games, and will lead the attack again on Sunday.
Summer signing Thierno Barry is also expected to retain his place, and head coach Marcelino could opt for an unchanged lineup, leaving Yeremy Pino and Nicolas Pepe on the bench once more.
Head-to-Head
The two teams have met 54 times across all competitions, with the visitors holding a clear advantage, having won 33 matches. Villarreal has triumphed over the league leaders 11 times, while 10 encounters have ended in draws. Last season, both teams secured away victories in their league matches, resulting in a total of 15 goals.
Villarreal is currently unbeaten in their last nine league games, with four of those ending in draws. Meanwhile, Barcelona is on a nine-match winning streak in La Liga, scoring 26 goals. In their last 10 meetings, the visitors have won eight times, highlighting the decisive nature of those encounters.
Possible Starting Lineup
Villarreal: Conde; Femenia, Albiol, Costa, S Cardona; Akhomach, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; Perez, Barry
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Casado, E Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Villarreal vs Barcelona: Prediction
The home team remains unbeaten in La Liga, enjoying a strong start and showcasing impressive football. However, with Barcelona in excellent form under Hansi Flick, Villarreal is likely to face a challenging match. Following a loss to AS Monaco, the away side will be determined to secure three points in this game and are expected to accomplish that.
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