Overview
A 2-0 victory over Espanyol in the previous round helped Barcelona win La Liga 2024-2025 2 rounds early. Therefore, the upcoming match against Villarreal is no longer very meaningful for coach Hansi Flick's team.
Barca with superior personnel is still rated higher than their opponent even though they have reached the target. They have been unbeaten in 17 consecutive matches, including 15 wins. Moreover, Blaugrana will also play at home in the upcoming match, where they have won 9 and drawn 1 in the last 10 matches.
Villarreal are also in good form, having won four in a row. Villarreal only need 1 point in the last 2 rounds to officially qualify for the Champions League. This is not a difficult task for them, so there will not be much pressure to beat Barcelona at all costs.
With both teams in good form and relaxed, many are expecting an exciting match and a pair of attacks. With the strength of the strongest attack in the league and home advantage, Barca will likely be the team to enjoy the joy of victory.
Barcelona will feel confident ahead of this game as they have won four of their last five games against Villarreal, including a big 5-1 win earlier this season. However, the visitors are still hopeless as they won an impressive 5-3 home win over Barca last season.
If Villarreal want to win in Catalunya, Alex Baena and Ayoze Perez will definitely need to achieve their best form. The duo have combined to score 24 goals and 12 assists in La Liga this season.
Personnel situation
Barcelona is expected to make changes after winning the championship. Inigo Martinez returns from suspension, but Ronald Araujo's ability to play is still uncertain after being injured.
On the other side of the front line, Villarreal are missing 4 players due to injury, including Ilias Akhomach, Raul Albiol, Thierno Barry and Kiko femenia.
Expected lineup:
Barcelona: Szczesny, Garcia, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde, Pedri, De Jong, Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha, Lewandowski.
Villarreal: Luiz Jr, Foyth, Kambwala, Costa, Pedraza, Parejo, Gueye, Pepe, Baena, Pino, Perez.
The match between Barcelona and Villarreal takes place at 0:00 am on May 19 (Vietnam time).
