The 2022-23 edition of La Liga is back in action with another round of matches this week as Villarreal lock horns with Xavi's Barcelona side in an important clash at the Camp Nou on Thursday.Barcelona vs Villarreal PreviewVillarreal are currently in seventh place in the La Liga standings and have been inconsistent so far this season. The Yellow Submarines eased past Osasuna by a 2-0 scoreline over the weekend and will look to achieve a similar result in this fixture.Barcelona, on the other hand, are in second place in the league table at the moment and have suffered defeat in their biggest test of the season so far. The Catalan giants slumped to a 3-1 defeat in El Clasico in their previous game and will need to bounce back this week.Villarreal CF English@VillarrealCFen 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 #VillarrealOsasuna251🐍 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂 🐍#VillarrealOsasuna https://t.co/tNJuQRWs9yBarcelona vs Villarreal Head-to-Head and Key NumbersBarcelona have a good record against Villarreal and have won 28 out of their 46 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Villarreal's 10 victories.After a run of 25 matches without defeat against Villarreal in La Liga, Barcelona slumped to a 2-0 defeat against the Yellow Submarines in May this year.Barcelona were on a run of 10 home games against Villarreal in which they scored at least two goals per game before they suffered defeat against the team in May this year.After an unbeaten run of seven home games on Thursdays in La Liga, Barcelona have lost two of their last three such matches in the competition.Barcelona have won their last three La Liga games at home and have not achieve four such victories in a row since 2020.After a run of four away victories in La Liga, Villarreal have lost their last four away games and have failed to find the back of the net in any of these games.Barcelona vs Villarreal PredictionBarcelona find themselves on the verge of another trophyless season and will need to bounce back immediately in La Liga. Xavi has a massive task on his hands and will need to make a few difficult decisions in the coming weeks.FC Barcelona@FCBarcelonaWelcome back, Héctor! 3887181Welcome back, Héctor! 💪 https://t.co/8CXxAvFe6yVillarreal can pack a punch on their day but are in desperate need of a shot in the arm at the moment. Barcelona are the better team on paper and should be able to win this game.Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Villarreal2 for 1 New Player Bonus at BarstoolBarcelona vs Villarreal Betting TipsTip 1: Result - BarcelonaTip 2: Game to score over 2.5 goals - YesTip 3: Barcelona to score first - YesTip 4: Robert Lewandowski to score - Yes