FC Barcelona's La Liga start had been brilliant this season; however, the club's surprise defeat to AS Monaco in their UCL opener has definitely impacted the club. Even though Hansi Flick's Barcelona had few positives from their UCL fixture against the French club, they surely would note key takeaways as they head to their next matchday against Villarreal. Being unbeaten in La Liga so far, the club stands an opportunity to bounce back with a win against Villarreal, though it won't be easy at all.
FC Barcelona Vs Villarreal Preview
FC Barcelona is set to kick off its 6th La Liga matchday against Villarreal on 22nd September at 16:30 UTC in the El Madrigal stadium. Although Barca arrives in the fixture having faced a crucial loss against AS Monaco in the UCL opener, they would want to continue on winning ways in La Liga. However, certainly, given Villarreal's recent form in the 2024/25 campaign, it wouldn't be an easy fixture for the Blaugrana club. Having a star-studded lineup consisting of Daniel Parejo, Alex Baena, and Ayoze Perez, the club has been unbeaten so far and could pose a significant challenge for the Catalan club, who look forward to continuing with a win.
Talking about Barca's potential lineup for the fixture, Hansi Flick might have to make certain key changes as they head to Villarreal City. Starting with the defense, many chances are that the German mastermind would prefer the same setup as he has been following. Although there has been much criticism of Ter Stegen's place in the lineup recently, it looks like he would continue in the unavailability of a serious contending option for his role at the club.
Coming to the midfield, it remains to be seen whether Eric Garcia, whose suspension caused major havoc for the unit last time, would be Flick's starter or not. While it is significantly certain that Pedri and Casado would be the two out of three names, there is a possibility that Raphinha might return to Olmo's place in the attacking midfield. However, there still exists a chance that Flick prefers the same starting setup as in Monaco's fixture, as Eric remains available in La Liga.
Finally, for the attack force, there could be a major change, if not in the starting, then definitely at some point in the fixture. Given that Ferran Torres is suspended for the Villarreal game, Flick would count upon Barca's star wing prodigy Ansu Fati for the left wing. Having returned in the previous game, even just for a few minutes, Fati could be the starter on the left wing in case Raphinha moves to the attacking midfield position. The rest two names, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, would remain the same for the side.
Scoreline Prediction
Considering FC Barcelona's start in La Liga, with all components contributing for the club, the Blaugrana club enter the fixture being the favorites. However, Villarreal can't be ruled out straight, who have been playing quite well recently, having 11 points and remaining unbeaten in the 5 fixtures. Upon closely analyzing the above factors, a win for the Blaugrana club can be predicted, with the final scoreline being 2-1.