Who: Villarreal vs Barcelona
Content: Spanish La Liga
Location: Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal, Spain
Date and time: Sunday 21st December, 4:15pm (15:15 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 12:15pm AEST before the text commentary stream. Click here to follow the live coverage.
Villarreal have quietly been running a potential dark horse title campaign through most of the first half of La Liga.
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There is now a chance to make it official when the ‘Yellow Submarine’ host Barcelona on Sunday.
Al Jazeera Sports takes a look at the matches that could seriously shake up the momentum of Spain’s top team.
How have Villarreal fared in La Liga this season?
Coach Marcelino García Toral’s team are in third place, eight points behind leaders Barcelona and four points behind second-place Real Madrid. However, since they have played two fewer games than the powerful countries, there is a good chance that they will be in an even better position.
Villarreal disappointed in the Champions League and were also eliminated in this week’s Copa del Rey by a team from the lower leagues. But La Liga is a different story. Villarreal are on a six-game winning streak, but have only lost two games, against Madrid and Atlético Madrid.
Marcelino’s side also turned La Ceramica Stadium into a fortress, remaining unbeaten after conceding a dismal four goals in eight home games, and winning all but one of their league games.
How did Barcelona do in La Liga this season?
This game will pit Villarreal’s league-leading defense, which has conceded 13 goals in 17 games, against its league-leading attacking team. Barcelona poured in 49 goals in that time, 15 more than their nearest challengers Real, and at times more than made up for their shaky defense by outscoring their opponents.
Barcelona will aim to end 2025 on a high this weekend by eliminating any thoughts of Villarreal’s challenge.
Lamine Yamal and his team’s eight consecutive league wins will continue to put pressure on Madrid’s struggling side.
Madrid host Sevilla on Saturday and manager Xabi Alonso needs a convincing win before a two-week winter break to ponder the team’s future.
What happened in Villarreal’s last game?
Villarreal have been plagued by injuries outside of La Liga this season, suffering a shock 2-1 loss to second-tier Racing de Santander in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Their last La Liga game was on 6 December, a 2-0 home win against Girona. Between these two games, Villarreal also suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Copenhagen in the Champions League.
What happened in Barcelona’s last match?
Late goals from Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford gave Barcelona a hard-fought 2-0 victory over third-tier Guadalajara in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.
In their last La Liga match, the Catalans were pushed to the limit by Osasuna, with Rafinha scoring two goals late in the game for a 2-0 victory.
What is the secret to Villarreal’s success in La Liga?
Villarreal’s success is based on a team effort from several goal scorers and playmakers. However, left winger Alberto Moreiro stands out. He has made a breakthrough in his first season with the team, leading Villarreal with six league goals. Tajon Buchanan added five goals, with midfielder Santi Comesana helping out a solid midfield.
What are Barcelona’s challenges in defense in La Liga?
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has so far been successful in reinforcing the left-sided centre-back role in Gerard Martin, who struggled to fill the left-back void when Alejandro Balde was injured at the end of last season.
Martin has started five games in a row in the middle of the defensive line as coach Flick tries to find a replacement for Iñigo Martinez, who left for Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Martin may be tested in Villarreal’s attack.
What happened to La Liga’s plans for Villarreal vs. Barcelona in Miami?
Sunday’s showdown was originally scheduled to be held in Miami, but La Liga’s international plans fell apart after harsh criticism, forcing the cancellation of what would have been the first European league match to be played overseas.
What happened the last time Villarreal played Barcelona?
Villarreal had won 3-2 in their last La Liga encounter against Barcelona in May, but the hosts had already clinched the league title five days before the match.
The visitors took the lead after just four minutes with a goal from Ayoze Pérez, but Yamal and Fermín López turned the game around in Barça’s favor before the break. However, Villarreal were unable to settle the score, with Santi Comesana leveling the score in the 50th minute and Tajon Buchanan scoring the winning goal with 10 minutes remaining.
What happened in the corresponding match between Villarreal and Barcelona last season?
The first meeting between the two teams last season ended in a crushing 5-1 defeat as Barcelona ran amok against Villarreal.
Robert Lewandowski and Rafinha scored two goals on either side, off shots from Pedro Torre. Perez was also on the home team’s scoresheet in this match, but that was only a consolation.
direct confrontation
This will be the 55th time the two teams have faced each other, with Barcelona winning 33 matches and Villarreal winning 11.
Villarreal have won their last two games against Barcelona, but the Catalan club has the same result as their last two games at La Ceramica.
Villarreal team news
Villarreal received a timely boost with veterans Gerard Moreno and Dani Parejo returning to training on Tuesday and should be available for the game against Barcelona.
However, Pape Gueye and Ilias Ahomak did not take part in the match against Senegal in the African Cup of Nations.
Pau Cabanes will be absent due to injury, but Thomas Partey, Gerard Moreno, Willy Kambwala and Santiago Molino will have to prove their fitness before the match.
barcelona team news
Dani Olmo and Gabi are out due to injury, while Ronald Araujo will miss the game due to personal reasons.
Pedri missed Friday’s training due to a calf strain, leaving his participation in the game in doubt.
Villarreal’s expected lineup
Lewis Junior. Navarro, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona. Buchanan, Comesana, Parejo, Moreiro. Perez, Mikautase
Barcelona’s expected lineup
Joan Garcia. Kunde, Kvarsi, Eric Garcia, Balde. De Jong, Pedri. Yamal, Rafinha, Rashford. Torres
