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FC Barcelona is not in the best of moods at the moment. The Catalans have conceded a 4-point lead to arch-rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga table and will take on a formidable Villarreal side away from home on this coming Sunday.
Barcelona played well against Atletico Madrid but conceded two unfortunate penalties and slumped to a 2-2 draw. The game marked Barcelona's second consecutive draw after Iago Aspas stunned the Catalan faithful with a late equaliser for Celta Vigo against Barcelona last week.
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The aftermath of Barcelona's draw against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou has been riddled with controversy. The Catalans did not cover themselves in glory after the match and Barcelona striker Antoine Griezmann continues to be heavily ostracised from the rest of the squad.
Barcelona is in desperate need of a win to boost the squad's morale and will look to pick up three points against Villarreal on Sunday. With the La Liga title slipping further away from its grasp, Barcelona needs to pull up its socks and put in a performance worthy of title contenders.
Villarreal v Barcelona Head-to-Head
Barcelona has an excellent record against Villarreal and has plundered several goals against the Yellow Submarines in the past. Villarreal has been in fine touch over the past few weeks and will serve as a staunch test of Barcelona's resolve this season.
The two sides have played 30 La Liga fixtures in the history of the competition and Barcelona has lost only three games. The Catalans have won 20 of these games and score a whopping 2.2 goals a match against Villarreal.
Barcelona defeated Villarreal at the Camp Nou in the reverse fixture in September by a margin of 2-1. Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring on the day before Arthur unleashed a magnificent 30-yard strike to double Barcelona's lead. Neither player is likely to start against Villarreal and Barcelona will have to look for other sources of inspiration.
Villarreal form guide: W-W-W-D-W
Barcelona form guide: W-D-W-D-D
Villarreal v Barcelona Team News
As is usually the case for Barcelona, Ousmane Dembele remains injured and will not play any part in the rest of the La Liga season. Barcelona has also missed the imperious presence of Frenkie de Jong in the midfield and will have to do without him against Villarreal.
Ivan Rakitic is likely to return to the lineup in place of Arturo Vidal and play ahead of Barcelona veteran Sergio Busquets. Riqui Puig has impressed in recent weeks and is likely to start his third match on the trot under Quique Setien.
Samuel Umtiti's injury in training means that Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet will continue their fruitful partnership at the heart of Barcelona's defence. Ansu Fati was on the bench against Atletico Madrid and may find a place in the starting lineup against Villarreal.
Injuries: Ousmane Dembele, Frenkie de Jong
Doubtful: None
Suspensions: None
Villarreal v Barcelona Predicted XI
Villarreal Predicted XI (4-4-2): Sergio Asenjo; Ruben Pena, Raul Albiol, Pau Torres, Alberto Moreno; Vicente Iborra, Zambo Anguissa, Santi Cazorla, Moi Gomez; Gerard Moreno, Paco Alcacer
Barcelona Predicted XI (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Riqui Puig; Ansu Fati, Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi
Villarreal v Barcelona Prediction
Barcelona will have to sharpen its knives against a powerful Villarreal side. The likes of Gerard Moreno and former Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer will present a potent threat on the counter and Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet will have to be wary of their technical prowess.
Villarreal also has former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla in its ranks. The Spanish maestro has been in brilliant touch this season and scored a stunning goal from the midfield against Barcelona in the reverse fixture.
Barcelona will need to put in an excellent performance to get the better of this Villarreal side. Only time will tell whether Quique Setien rises above the politics at the club and inspires Barcelona to an emphatic win at El Madrigal.
Prediction - Villarreal 1-2 Barcelona
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