Overview
Barcelona once stagnated earlier this month when they lost to Atletico Madrid 0-4 in the Copa del Rey semi-finals and then succumbed 1-2 to Girona in La Liga. However, coach Hansi Flick's team promptly responded with a 3-0 victory over Levante.
The Catalan team has returned to the top of La Liga, one point ahead of Real Madrid. When Real has not played this round, Barcelona has a chance to widen the gap to 4 points if they win.
The upcoming schedule is very harsh for Barca when they will rematch Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, then visit Athletic Bilbao before the Champions League round of 16.
Barcelona has won 20/25 La Liga matches this season, scoring 67 goals. 3 of their attacking pillars including Ferran Torres (12), Lamine Yamal (10) and Robert Lewandowski (10) all achieved two-digit goals.
Barcelona has a superior head-to-head record, winning 35/57 matches against Villarreal and once winning 2-0 in the first leg this season. However, Villarreal has won both of their most recent away games at Camp Nou, including a 5-3 victory in January 2024.
Coach Marcelino's team just beat Valencia 2-1 and won 3/4 of their last matches in La Liga. They are currently ranked third with 16 wins, 3 draws, 6 losses after 25 rounds, 10 points behind Barcelona and 3 points ahead of Atletico Madrid.
Villarreal also has the fourth best away record in the league, winning 20 points after 12 matches (6 wins). In the context of the heating up championship race, Barcelona needs a victory to consolidate their position, but Villarreal shows that they are capable of creating a surprise in Catalunya.
Personnel situation
Gavi has returned to training with Barcelona, but the Spanish midfielder has not played since the end of August last year due to a serious knee injury. Blaugrana coaching staff will not want to take risks and it is expected that he will only be able to reappear around March.
Andreas Christensen continues to be absent for a long time due to injury, while Gerard Martin is suspended after his fourth yellow card in the match against Levante.
Joao Cancelo's impressive performance against Levante may help him keep the left-back spot instead of Alejandro Balde. In midfield, Fermin Lopez and Pedri may start instead of Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo.
De Jong is the latest loss for the home team as the Dutch midfielder is out for about 6 weeks due to a hamstring injury.
On Villarreal's side, Willy Kambwala, Logan Costa, Pau Cabanes and Juan Foyth continue to be absent due to injuries. Gerard Moreno and Pape Gueye will be checked for fitness late before kick-off.
On the left wing, Alfonso Pedraza may be given the opportunity to start after an effective start against Valencia, while the duo Ayoze Perez and Georges Mikautadze are likely to continue to play side by side in attack.
Expected lineup:
J. Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsi, E. Garcia, Cancelo, Bernal, Pedri, Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha, Lewandowski.
Luiz Junior, Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Pedraza, Pepe, Comesana, Gueye, Moleiro, Mikautadze, Perez.
The match between Barcelona and Villarreal takes place at 10:15 PM on February 28th (Vietnam time).
