Table of Contents
Villarreal CF vs. FC Barcelona
Barcelona legend Xavi will play his third competitive game as FC Barcelona coach this coming Saturday night against Villarreal. The match, which will be played as part of the 15th matchday of La Liga, will kick off at El Madrigal at 21:00.
The last time Villarreal won against FC Barcelona, Xavi was still playing for the Catalans. Not as an experienced veteran, but as a 28-year-old player in his prime. He even scored his team’s only goal in the 2-1 defeat in March 2008. However, Barcelona have not lost a single one of their subsequent 24 duels. In our Villarreal vs Barcelona betting tips, you can read whether we think this series will continue or whether we think the visitors will pull off the big surprise.
Villarreal -Barcelona Info
– Date & Time: 27/11/2021, at 21:00.
– Venue: Villarreal, El Madrigal (up to 23,500 spectators).
– Competition: La Liga, Matchday 15
– TV broadcast: DAZN
Villarreal -Barcelona Tip
The teams are separated by just four points in the table after 13 games. The course of the season has been relatively similar. Both teams started the season without defeats, but still dropped quite a few points due to the many draws. In October, both sides then went through a pretty bad phase before things started to look up again. The recently started upward trend is now to be continued at the weekend. Let’s see who will succeed in the end.
Villarreal Form & Balance Check
At reigning Europa League winners Villarreal FC, their performances in the league and in the Champions League are far apart. In the top flight, the yellow submarine is even on course for the last 16 after seven points from the first five games. On the last matchday against Atalanta, the Spanish representative only needs a draw to be sure of a place in the knockout phase of the competition. In the Spanish championship, on the other hand, things are not looking particularly good. After 13 games, Unai Emery’s team is only 13th in the table with 16 points.
Fearful opponents Barcelona
The reason for this is the many draws at the beginning of the season. After seven matchdays Villarreal was still unbeaten, but still only had eleven points on their account due to five draws. A bad phase followed (one point from four games), before things picked up again with the 1-0 win against Getafe and the 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo. Against Barcelona, however, there is little to suggest a successful match. Villarreal have not won a single one of their last 24 league encounters with FC Barcelona. Most recently, there were four defeats in a row after a spectacular 4:4 draw.
Villarreal facts & analysis
– 16 points from 13 games
– Last played 1:1 against Celta Vigo
– None of the last 24 league duels with Barcelona won
– Drawn 7 out of 13 matches
Barcelona form & balance check
Measured by results, things have been looking up for FC Barcelona since the arrival of Xavi. In his first two competitive games as coach of the Catalans, the 41-year-old has yet to concede a goal. In the league, thanks to Memphis Depay’s penalty in the 48th minute, there was a narrow 1-0 victory in the derby against Espanyol Barcelona. In its second competitive match, the FCB drew 0-0 with Benfica Lisbon in the top flight. However, Sergio Busquets & Co. will not be able to live with the draw as well as the Portuguese representative from Lisbon.
Barca with final against Bayern
Benfica have now won the direct comparison with Barcelona. This means that if the Portuguese team wins against Kiev on the last matchday, FC Barcelona will also have to win against FC Bayern to qualify for the knockout phase via second place in the table. Should Benfica not win, Barcelona could also lose the match against Bayern. Before this final, however, there are still two games in the league. Statistically, the chances are not bad that Barcelona can continue the upward trend on Saturday. Since 2008/09, Barcelona have gone more games without defeat at Villarreal’s home ground (8S, 4U) than at any other stadium.
Barcelona facts & analysis
– 20 points from 14 games
– Last won 1-0 against Espanyol
– Last 12 games at Villarreal not lost
– Unbeaten in 3 league games
Predicted line-up – last update on 26 November 2021
The hosts will only have to do without Gerard Moreno, who is out with a torn muscle bundle. Therefore, the starting eleven could remain almost unchanged compared to the 1:1 against Celta Vigo.
For FC Barcelona, Martin Braithwaite, Pedri, Ansu-Fati and Segri Roberto are not available. Ousmané Dembele is back after recovering from injury but is unlikely to be in the starting eleven yet.
G⚽️AL OF THE DAY
😍 Xavi pic.twitter.com/xUN4ti8R2F– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 26, 2021
Villarreal -Barcelona direct comparison & Statistics
The direct comparison unsurprisingly favours FC Barcelona, who have won 25 of the 42 duels. Nine encounters have ended in draws, while Villarreal have emerged victorious eight times. However, the Catalans have won all four of the last meetings. Villarreal’s last win came in March 2008.
– Did you know that Villarreal CF score 27% of their goals between the 31-45 minute mark?
– Last season FC Barcelona won both matches against Villarreal CF (4-0 at home and 2-1 away).
– Villarreal CF: Etienne Capoue has collected the most yellow cards (4). At FC Barcelona it is Sergio Busquets (4).
– The most common result between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona is 0-1 when Villarreal CF had home advantage. 3 matches ended like this.
– A look at Villarreal CF: Arnaut Danjuma is the top scorer with 5 goals. 7 times Memphis Depay scored for FC Barcelona.
