Who: Barcelona vs Villarreal
Content: La Liga
Location: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
Date and time: Saturday, February 28th, 4:15pm (15:15 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 12:30 GMT, ahead of a live text commentary stream.
Barça will welcome the powerhouse Villarreal to the Camp Nou in hopes of further cementing their position in pole position in La Liga.
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A win would give Barcelona a tentative four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who host mid-table Getafe on Monday night.
Barcelona suffered a minor upset earlier this month, losing 4-0 to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, and then losing 2-1 to Girona, briefly allowing Madrid to take the lead.
However, Barça bounced back with a 3-0 win over Levante last weekend, while Madrid suffered a surprise defeat at Osasuna.
Third-placed Villarreal trail Barcelona by 10 points and a surprise win at the Camp Nou could reignite their hopes of competing for the title.
The visiting side defeated Valencia 2-1 in their last encounter and will go into the game full of confidence having won three of their last four La Liga matches.
Villarreal will have little to fear heading into this showdown as they have won their last two away games against Barcelona.
Barca striker fires blank during Villarreal visit
Barcelona will host Villarreal amid concerns over the form of strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
Former Bayern Munich great Lewandowski, 37, has not only endured fitness issues this season but has also seen a rapid decline in form, while Torres, 25, is aiming for a personal record for goals, most of which came during a purple patch at the end of last year.
The Catalan giants clearly have problems defensively as their opponents regularly attack from the high line, but last season they produced enough goals to make up for their shortcomings in that area, helping them win the domestic treble.
Barça still lead La Liga with 67 goals scored this season, but the goals are coming from everywhere. Ten different players have scored two or more points, and no player has scored more than Torres with 12 points.
However, Torres has only scored three goals in his last 15 appearances and lacks all-round play, failing to contribute effectively in Barça’s attack structures and frequently losing the ball.
Lewandowski has scored five goals in his last 18 games, but has looked less mobile than before and more of a peripheral presence at times.
Lewandowski told Polish magazine Pirka Nozna this week: “With the number of games, it’s natural to rotate the strikers. I think Ferran and I can benefit from the current situation.”
“When you play 90 minutes every three days, your whole life is spent recovering. I have a little better balance now. I’m tired, but not exhausted.”
Flick considering using Rashford as striker
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has not used England international Marcus Rashford much in that position, with the Manchester United loanee keen to play on the left.
However, with Raphinha in good form and starting after he was sidelined through injury, Rashford may now consider playing as a No. 9 his best chance of increasing his playing time.
Rashford has been effective at Barça this season, scoring 13 goals for his teammates and 10 himself in 34 games in all competitions, although he has provided more assists than goals.
With other teams taking part in the Champions League play-off rounds, Flick hopes his side will benefit greatly from a relatively quiet few weeks.
“It’s important to have some rest over the next two weeks, but it’s also important to focus on the next game against Villarreal, which will also be a tough game,” Flick said.
“After that we can play games preferably every three or four days, so these two weeks are important.”
“They are a brave team who leave space.”
Villarreal defender Santiago Mourino said his team will come to the Camp Nou looking for all three points, stressing that they want to exploit Barcelona’s high line as a weakness.
“We want to beat Barcelona and close the gap with them. It’s a difficult game. They have won all their home games,” Mourino said at the pre-match press conference.
“Let’s see if we can stop their winning streak. We have to compete evenly.”
He added: “They are a brave team who leave space and we have to take advantage of those chances. We have a great striker and we need to be flexible to win.”
“We are one of the best teams in La Liga in terms of open play and counter-attacks. If we are accurate, we will do well.”
direct confrontation
Barcelona and Villarreal have honked their horns 57 times. Barcelona won 35 of those matches, Villarreal won 12 and 10 ended in a draw.
Villarreal have won their last two away games against Barça with the most goals, winning 3-2 in May 2025 and 5-3 in January 2024.
What happened the last time these clubs got together?
In December 2025, Barcelona wingers Rafinha and Lamine Yamal led the Catalan giants to a 2-0 win away at Villarreal 10-a-side.
Brazil international Rafinha converted a first-half penalty to win the game, while Villarreal’s Renato Veiga was sent off for a second-half lunge on Yamal before half-time.
Ramal scored Barça’s second goal midway through the second half.
barcelona team news
Barça announced on Thursday that midfielder Frenkie de Jong will be out for up to six weeks with a hamstring problem. Center back Andreas Christensen is also out for an extended period with a similar injury.
Defender Gerard Martin is suspended for collecting too many yellow cards.
In positive news for Barça, midfielder Gabi, who has been out of action since August due to a serious knee injury, has resumed training and is not expected to be available until March.
Expected starting lineup:
João Garcia (goalkeeper); Kunde, Kvarsi, Eric Garcia, Balde. Bernal, Pedri. Yamal, Fermin, Rafinha. lewandowski
Villarreal team news
Pau Cabanes, Logan Costa, Juan Foyth and Willy Kambwala are all ruled out through injury, while Gerard Moreno and Papu Gueye face late fitness tests.
Starting candidate:
Luis Junior (goalkeeper); Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Pedraza. Pepe, Comesana, Gueye, Moreiro. Mikautadze, Perez
