La Liga: Leaders Barca Can Sink the Yellow Sub

Barcelona vs Villarreal

Barcelona aim to tighten its grip on the La Liga title race when the Catalans welcome Villarreal to the Spotify Camp Nou Stadium for a tasty Saturday afternoon treat.   

After back-to-back losses, one in the league and one in the Copa del Rey, Hansi Flick’s men went back to the top of the La Liga table last week, beating Levante 3-0, and now they meet Marcelino’s Villarreal who have just picked up back-to-back league wins after going through a sticky patch of their own. It’s first against third, and with second-placed Real Madrid not playing until Monday the league leaders, currently one point ahead, would dearly love to win themselves some breathing space.        

Neither team was in Champions League action this week, Barcelona having already qualified for the Round of 16 while Villarreal crashed out of Europe’s flagship competition some time ago.  

 

Talking Points

Raphinha and Pedri returns are huge for Barcelona 

After missing three games with a hamstring injury Barca winger Raphinha made a re-appearance against Girona just over a week ago. He looked a little leggy and was subbed on the hour, but in the win over Levante this week the 29-year-old made the full 90 minutes and was back on song. His pace, skill and work-rate makes Raphinha one of the best players on the planet and his manager is under no illusions how vital he is to the team’s success: “I think Raphinha is very important,” said Flick. “We miss him when he’s not there, we see him in training as the dynamics and the intensity of the team increases.”    

With Barca’s young guns, Marc Bernal and Lamine Yamal both in superb form and the line led by Robert Lewandowski, the Catalans have the most potent attacking group in the business, with Ferran Torres top scoring on 12 league goals. The 18-year-old Bernal was on target against Levante, and there was more good news for Flick, as midfield ace Pedri made a return from his own hamstring injury. The 23-year-old La Roja star is a superb play-maker, a great passer and he controls the tempo of the game, already making 153 appearances for Barca and an inspiration to the likes of Bernal and Yamal. 

While Barcelona have players coming back in the front six, they have lost a man in the rearguard as Gerard Martin picked up a fifth yellow card of the campaign last week and so he’s sidelined for the visit of the Yellow Submarine. Pau Cubarsi is likely to step back in to central defence alongside Eric Garcia.       

 

A top four finish is within Villarreal’s grasp  

In the first half of the season Villarreal’s La Liga 2026 results were simply outstanding and that is why, despite a mixed set of performances since Christmas, the Yellow Sub still sits third in the Primera Division table. And with a nine point advantage over fifth placed Real Betis a Champions League place is Villarreal’s to lose. And after such an abject performance in this year’s European competition Marcelino will be keen to have another crack next term. 

He has a strong squad of players to choose from but one of the standouts this season has been Senegalese midfielder Pape Gueye. Mainly a defensive midfielder, the 50m Euros rated star can also play box-to-box, scoring his share of goals and he bagged the winner against Valencia from the penalty spot. 

Captain Gerard Moreno missed the match against Valencia and he remains doubtful so top scorer Alberto Moleiro, who has nine goals and four assists will be Villarreal’s focal point up front, with Nicolas Pepe and Georges Mikautadze alongside, while the recently returned Renato Veiga will marshal a defence which is sure to have a busy afternoon.           

 

History 

Barcelona have bossed their head-to-head matches results against Villarreal, with 30 wins to eight and there have been nine draws over the past 47 meetings. In Catalonia the tally is 15 wins to Villarreal’s four and there have been four draws. Barca won 2-0 at the Estadio de la Ceramica in December with goals from Raphinha and Yamal, while Veiga was red carded in the first half. 

In the league Barca have won four and lost two of their last six games while Villarreal have won three, drawn one and lost two.    

 

Betting Tip

The latest La Liga 2026 betting odds are behind a Barca title and the tide turned towards Catalonia last week, and I don’t expect it to turn back on Saturday afternoon.   

The Blaugrana are heavily odds-on favourites to win this clash at a SBOTOP price of 1.30 with the draw at 6.00 and a Villarreal win at 8.50, and the Double Chance; Villarreal or Draw is 3.65. But with Raphinha and Pedri back in the fold I’m with the Blaugrana.  

   

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