Villarreal vs Barcelona: will Barcelona extend their winning streak?
In the Matchday 17 fixture of La Liga, Villarreal will host Barcelona on home soil. This match will take place on Sunday, December 21, with kick-off scheduled for 16:15 CET, and I am offering a betting pick for this encounter.
Villarreal vs Barcelona: match facts and head-to-head
- Villarreal have lost their last two matches.
- Barcelona have won six matches in a row.
- Barcelona have lost only once in their last ten matches.
- At home, Villarreal have lost one of their previous four matches, winning the other three.
- Barcelona have lost only 4% of their matches this season without scoring.
- Villarreal have recorded more clean-sheet victories: 33% compared to Barcelona’s 25%.
- Barcelona have scored in both halves in 54% of their matches this season, Villarreal in 46%.
- Villarreal beat Barcelona 3–2 in the most recent head-to-head meeting.
Villarreal vs Barcelona: match preview
Villarreal have lost their last two matches. However, both defeats came in cup competitions. First, the Yellow Submarine were beaten 3–2 by Copenhagen, followed by a 2–1 loss to Racing. In La Liga, the team did not play in the previous round due to weather-related issues. Despite this, Villarreal still sit in third place in the La Liga table. They have played 15 matches and collected 35 points. They trail Real Madrid by four points and Barcelona by eight. Importantly, Villarreal still have two games in hand, giving them a chance to close the gap.
Barcelona are currently the leaders of La Liga. After 17 rounds, the team have accumulated 43 points, with a four-point advantage over the side in second place. After El Clásico, they were seven points behind the Madrid club, but have since overturned that deficit. Since the match against Real, Barcelona have played 11 games, winning nine of them. The Catalans are now on a six-match winning streak. In the previous round, Flick’s side defeated Osasuna 2–0, and in midweek they secured a 2–0 win over Guadalajara in the Copa del Rey. This will be Barcelona’s final match of 2025, with their next fixture scheduled for January 3.
Probable line-ups
- Villarreal: Junior; Navarro, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Parejo, Comesana, Moleiro; Perez, Mikautadze
- Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Balde; De Jong, E Garcia; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Torres
Prediction
Barcelona travel to face a tough opponent away from home, where they certainly will not have it easy. Villarreal are always ready to put up a fight against the Catalans on their own ground, but I still believe Barca can come out on top in this challenging contest.
