The La Liga Round 17 clash between Villarreal and Barcelona will take place on December 21 at Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal vs Barcelona: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Villarreal
Villarreal's scheduled meeting with Levante in the previous round was postponed due to adverse weather. Prior to that, the Yellow Submarine had strung together six consecutive La Liga victories. So far this season the club have suffered just two league defeats, both away. At home they have collected 22 points from a possible 24, bettered only by Atlético (25) and Barcelona (27). The home unbeaten run in the league stretches to 14 matches (11 wins, 3 draws). Defensively Villarreal remain one of the most reliable sides in the division, having conceded just 13 goals in total. In the table Marcelino’s men sit third and still have two games in hand; a victory over Barcelona would see them lead the league in the fewest points dropped.
- At least two goals have been scored in eight consecutive Villarreal La Liga matches.
- The club have conceded no more than one goal in five of their last six league games.
- The Castellón side have scored in 13 consecutive home league matches.
Probable Villarreal line-up (4-4-2)*
Luis Junior – Pau Navarro, Renato Veiga, Juan Foyth, Sergi Cardona – Tajon Buchanan, Dani Parejo, Santi Comesaña, Alberto Moleiro – Giorgi Mikautadze, Ayoze Pérez.
Midfielder Pape Gueye has completed a suspension. Defenders Juan Foyth, Sergi Cardona, Santiago Muñoz, Logan Costa and Willy Kambwala, midfielder Thomas Partey and forward Pau Cabanes are out with injuries. The participation of striker Gerard Moreno is doubtful.
Barcelona
Barcelona remain firmly at the top of the table. At the weekend they beat Osasuna 2-0, recording their seventh straight La Liga victory. The last league defeat came at the end of October against Real Madrid (1-2). Since then Hans Flick’s side have overturned a sizeable deficit and now lead their main rivals by four points. Barcelona’s scoring streak in La Liga extends to 37 matches, and they have netted 49 goals so far this season, the highest tally in the division. The only caveat is that the rare slips this campaign have come on the road.
- Both teams have scored in 10 of Barcelona’s last 12 La Liga matches.
- Barcelona’s run in the competition stands at 14 matches (12 wins, 2 defeats).
- The Catalans have scored at least twice in seven consecutive La Liga games.
Probable Barcelona line-up (4-2-3-1)*
Joan Garcia – Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martínez, Alex Balde – Pedri, Eric Garcia – Marcus Rashford, Lamine Yamal, Rafinha Diaz – Ferran Torres.
Midfielders Dani Olmo and Gavi are unavailable due to injury. Defender Ronald Araujo has been rested.
Match prediction: Villarreal vs Barcelona
Villarreal are remarkably consistent and, by the halfway point of the season, are maintaining a level that could realistically challenge for the title. However, fixtures against the traditional big sides have been problematic: meetings with Real Madrid and Atlético this season yielded defeats and a combined 1-5 scoreline. Historically Villarreal have struggled against Barcelona — in 32 previous La Liga encounters they have managed only three wins, all away. At home the side are without a league victory in 16 matches (4 draws, 12 defeats). Furthermore, six of the last seven head-to-heads at Villarreal in this competition produced over 2.5 goals.
Barcelona’s matches are generally high-scoring affairs. In 13 of their last 14 La Liga games at least three goals have been scored, and in nine of those contests there were four or more goals. Flick’s team have won seven La Liga matches in a row and have taken 14 wins from their last 17 fixtures, suffering just two defeats in that period.
From the above, my prediction: Barcelona win or draw + total over 2.5
* For each side, the starting line-up shown is the team’s line-up from their previous match in this competition.
