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Barcelona will welcome Villarreal to the Camp Nou on Sunday with plans to stretch their winning run to four matches in La Liga. The Blaugranes currently have the same number of points as Real Madrid who have a tough trip to Sevilla coming up. The Catalan team will want to earn the three points and maintain the pressure on their arch-rivals.
On the other hand, Villarreal head into the match placed fifth in the table and level on points with 2013/14 champions Atletico Madrid, whom they defeated earlier in the league.
Kickoff and TV telecast
Date and Time: Sunday, 8 November 2015 (8:30 PM IST)
Telecast: Sony Six HD
Venue: Camp Nou
Team News
Barcelona: Ivan Rakitic is the latest entrant in the La Liga defending champions’ injury list. Douglas, Lionel Messi and Rafinha are the three long-term absentees for the club, whereas Javier Mascherano will serve the second and last game of his two-match ban, which he was handed after he insulted the referee in Barcelona’s match against Eibar.
Villarreal: The Yellow Submarine will miss the services of goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo, defender Musacchio, and Adrian and Leo Baptistao in the attacking unit. All of these players are out because of injuries. Meanwhile, Eric Bailly will miss the tie because of yellow card suspension. Denis Suarez and Jonathan Dos Santos will return to the Camp Nou, where they spent their initial years before moving to El Madrigal.
Probable Line-ups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Alves, Piqué, Vermaelen, Alba; Busquets, Roberto, Iniesta; Munir, Suárez, Neymar
Villarreal (4-4-2): Areola; Mario, Bonera, Ruiz, Costa; Jonathan, Bruno, Pina, Denis Suárez; Bakambu, Soldado
Form
Barcelona have won their last three matches in the league and are unbeaten in the last six matches across all competitions. In Messi’s absence, Neymar and Suarez are firing on all cylinders. The duo scored a goal each in the last match and Luis Enrique must be hoping that they carry that momentum into this tough fixture.
Last 5 games: W-L-W-W-W (Last match: Getafe 0-2 Barcelona)
Villarreal are unbeaten in their last four matches across all competitions. They defeated Sevilla 2-1 in their last La Liga fixture, a team against whom the Blaugrana suffered a loss.
Last 5 games: W-L-L-D-W (Last match: Villareal 2-1 Sevilla)
Key Stats
- Villareal have lost their last six encounters against Barcelona across all competitions
- Barcelona have a 100% record at Camp Nou this season
- Neymar and Suarez have scored 17 goals between them this season
- The last time these two teams met was in the Copa Del Rey semi-final in which the Catalan club triumphed 3-1 in both legs. The second leg was played at El Madrigal where Neymar scored a brace and Suarez scored one as well
Prediction
The team from Castello is by no means an easy proposition for Barcelona. The Yellow submarines are expected to give the Catalan club a run for their money though the two-time treble winners have players like Suarez and Neymar who can dominate any team in the world. So, the home team will ultimately earn the three points.
Predicted score: Barcelona 2-1 Villareal
Betting Odds (Bet365)
Barcelona – 3/10
Villarreal – 8/1
Draw – 9/2
