Barcelona have a challenging game against Villarreal who are fighting to hold on to a Europa League spot.
Form
The Catalans are in good form going in to this match with four straight wins in the league. This includes the win against Los Blancos, and this run of form has helped keep the pressure on their major rivals.
Villarreal are also in a good run of form with three straight wins with one of them being an away win against Atlético Madrid, which is very impressive. They have also won four of their last five games, but they did lose to Alavés which was a bit of a shock.
Squads
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Andrés Iniesta returns for this match after picking up a knock which ruled him out of the Barcelona derby. Aside from that, there is little change for Barça with Jérémy Mathieu, Aleix Vidal and Rafinha all unavailable. Villarreal have a few players out due to injury as well. First choice goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo is out with a knee injury. Bruno and Víctor Ruiz both have injuries as well, so the strong spine of the team is missing. Barcelona will be happy to see that Bruno isn’t playing because he got away with a deliberate handball in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. Denis Cheryshev is also unavailable for El Submarino Amarillo.
Next: Luis Enrique's thoughts on facing Villarreal
History
Recent history favours Barcelona with three wins in the last five matches. However, the last two matches have been draws, but they were both at Estadio de la Cerámica. The Catalans have won their last six home games against this side which stretches all the way back to 2011 with the last positive result for Villarreal being when they managed to draw 1-1 at Camp Nou in 2010.
Playing Style
Fran Escribá has made El Submarino Amarillo one of the strongest defensive sides in Spain with Atlético Madrid the only side to have conceded less. They prioritise organisation and make it extremely hard for any team trying to play through the middle. This is combined with rapid counter-attacks spearheaded by Cédric Bakambu, Roberto Soldado and Samu Castillejo.
Earlier in the season they managed to frustrate Barcelona with Messi managing to rescue a draw in the 90th minute. Also, the fact that they were able to do to Atlético what Los Rojiblancos have been doing to other teams for the past few years shows how well they have been coached, and shows how far they are willing to go in terms of gamesmanship.
However, three of their key players are out, and they from the strong spine to the team. This could be a key factor because Barça should be able to exploit this weakness in the centre of the team. The return of Iniesta is also key because he will be important in exerting control over the game with Sergio Busquets as well as breaking down the opposition with the front three.
The Catalans should have enough quality to see this through and avoid a slip-up. This would put the pressure on Real seen as they are playing straight afterwards. Neymar seems to enjoy playing against these with five goals in his last five games, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the scoresheet. However, they need to be wary of the rapid counter-attacks, so smart defensive positioning will be pivotal.
Prediction: FC Barcelona 2-0 Villarreal CF
Predicted Lineup
Denis Suárez instead of Iniesta is a possibility.