Preview: Barcelona vs Villarreal - prediction, team news, lineups

Barcelona will be aiming to move four points clear at the top of the La Liga table when they welcome Villarreal to Camp Nou on Saturday afternoon.

The Catalan outfit are currently one point clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the summit, while the Yellow Submarine are third, 10 points off the top of the division.

Match preview

Barcelona suffered back-to-back defeats earlier this month, losing 4-0 to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, before going down 2-1 to Girona in La Liga, but Hansi Flick's side managed to bounce back last time out, recording a 3-0 win over Levante.

The Catalan side have reclaimed first spot in the table, currently sitting one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who are not in action until Monday night, so a win for the hosts here would move them four points clear at the summit.

Barcelona are entering a crucial period of the season, facing Atletico in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final next week, before heading to Athletic Bilbao on March 8 ahead of the first leg of their last-16 contest in the Champions League.

Flick's team have won 20 of their 25 league matches this season, scoring 67 times in the process, with three of their players - Ferran Torres (12), Lamine Yamal (10) and Robert Lewandowski (10) - on double figures in terms of league goals in 2025-26.

Barcelona have won 35 of their 57 matches against Villarreal in all competitions, including a 2-0 success in the reverse match between the two sides earlier this season.

Villarreal have actually won their last two away league games against Barcelona, including a standout 5-3 success in January 2024, with their last defeat to the Catalan outfit on their travels coming in October 2022.

The Yellow Submarine will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 win over Valencia, and they have been victorious in three of their last four league fixtures.

Marcelino's side are third in the La Liga table, boasting a record of 16 wins, three draws and six defeats from their 25 matches, which has left them 10 points off the summit and three points ahead of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

Villarreal, as mentioned, have won on their last two trips to Barcelona, while they have the fourth-best away record in Spain's top flight this term, picking up 20 points from 12 matches, recording six wins in the process.

The Yellow Submarine were knocked out in the league stage of this season's Champions League, so their only focus for the remainder of the campaign is La Liga.

Barcelona La Liga form:

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Barcelona form (all competitions):

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Villarreal La Liga form:

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Villarreal form (all competitions):

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Team News

Gavi is back in training for Barcelona, but the midfielder has not played since the end of August due to a serious knee injury, so his return will not be rushed, with the Spaniard expected to make his comeback at some stage in March.

Andreas Christensen remains a long-term absentee with a similar issue, while Gerard Martin is suspended after picking up a milestone yellow card against Levante.

Joao Cancelo's excellent performance against Levante could mean that the Portugal international keeps his spot at left-back ahead of Alejandro Balde, while Fermin Lopez and Pedri could be introduced into the side in place of Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo.

De Jong is a fresh injury blow for Barcelona, with the Netherlands international facing six weeks on the sidelines due to a hamstring issue.

As for Villarreal, Willy Kambwala (hamstring), Logan Costa (knee), Pau Cabanes (knee) and Juan Foyth (knee) will once again be unavailable for selection.

Meanwhile, Gerard Moreno (thigh) and Pape Gueye (thigh) face late fitness tests.

Alfonso Pedraza could be introduced into the side at left-back due to his strong performance off the bench against Valencia, but Ayoze Perez and Georges Mikautadze are set to continue as the front two on Saturday afternoon.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:

J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Cancelo; Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Villarreal possible starting lineup:

Luiz Junior; Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Pedraza; Pepe, Comesana, Gueye, Moleiro; Mikautadze, Perez

We say: Barcelona 3-2 Villarreal

This is a fascinating match, and we are expecting goals on Saturday afternoon; it would not be a surprise to see the points shared, but we just have a feeling that Barcelona's quality in the final third of the field will allow them to secure all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.