Barcelona v Villarreal: Line-ups, stats and preview

"If we recall the last match in Villarreal, we had a bit of luck. They had very good transitions, we mustn't make unnecessary mistakes and we have to play in our style. Barcelona's coach Hansi Flick acknowledges Villarreal's quality and warns against complacency despite their previous victory."

"They have won 12 out of 12 games at home. They score an average of three goals. We are going there with the hope of winning and reversing their favourable results. It's one game. 90 minutes and anything can happen. Villarreal coach Marcelino recognizes Barcelona's dominance but maintains belief in his team's ability to produce an upset."

Barcelona hosts Villarreal on Saturday in a pivotal LaLiga title race encounter. Barcelona maintains a one-point advantage over Real Madrid following their 3-0 victory over Levante. Villarreal, currently third in the table, presents a significant threat, having won their last two away matches against Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium. This match marks Hansi Flick's 100th game managing Barcelona, during which he has secured a LaLiga and Copa del Rey double plus two Supercopa de Espana titles. Barcelona won the reverse fixture 2-0 with goals from Raphinha and Lamine Yamal when Villarreal played with ten men. Flick emphasizes the need to avoid mistakes and maintain their playing style, while Villarreal's coach Marcelino seeks to overturn their earlier defeat despite Barcelona's perfect home record this season.

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