Barcelona continue their pursuit of the La Liga frontrunners as they welcome Villarreal to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Saturday. The Catalans will be relying on their solid home record and should have the upper hand over their visitors, who have been out of sorts lately.
Barcelona are coming off a 4-2 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in a Copa Del Rey fixture on Wednesday. Efforts from Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal had earned them a 2-2 draw in regulation time but they went in to concede two more goals in extra-time.
That result means Barcelona are slowly running out of domestic silverware having also lost in the Super Cup final last week. The La Liga title might be their last resort, although they are currently third in the standings, six points off the pace.
Barcelona did triumph 4-2 at Real Betis last time out for their third straight La Liga victory. Xavi’s men have also claimed three wins in their last four La Liga home matches but are without a single clean sheet in that run.
Villarreal head into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 1-1 draw with Mallorca in their previous La Liga fixture. They took the lead on the stroke of halftime through Alexander Sorloth but went on to concede an injury time equaliser.
That result means Villarreal are now winless in their last four matches across all competitions. Marcelino’s men are currently in the bottom half of the table and sitting five points above the relegation zone, will be keen to keep their head above water.
Among the problems for Villarreal is a poor record on their travels having lost their last five La Liga away matches. They have suffered some heavy defeats in that run, including a 4-0 hammering at Real Madrid.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 1/3 by bet365. An unlikely victory for Villarreal is valued at 15/2 with BetVictor while a draw is set at odds of 21/4 by Unibet.
Head to head
Barcelona have a 32-9 advantage with 10 draws from 51 previous matches against Villarreal. The Catalans have also won the last three meetings and claimed a 4-3 victory in the reverse fixture back in August Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres among the goals.
Players to watch
Robert Lewandowski appears to be rediscovering his scoring touch and with four goals in his last six matches, is priced at 3/4 by 888Sport to find the net on Saturday. Ferran Torres netted a hat-trick in the win over Real Betis and is priced at 8/5 by bet365 in the same market.
Alexander Sorloth scored his seventh La Liga goal of the season last time out and could be worth keeping an eye on for Villarreal. The striker was also on target in the reverse fixture and is priced at 19/5 by Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
Anything else catch the eye?
It was a seven goal thriller in the reverse fixture and with neither side still convincing at the back, another open encounter could be expected. Over 4.5 goals could be considered at 21/10 by BetVictor while over 3.5 goals is valued at 10/11 by bet365.
With Barcelona priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win and both teams to score could be considered at 13/10 by BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal will be played on Jan 27, 2024 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Villarreal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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