La Liga: Barca Will Struggle to Sink the Yellow Submarine

Villarreal vs Barcelona

Barcelona head to the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday in their quest for back-to-back wins, but that is easier said than done against Villarreal.

Xavi’s side was held to a frustrating draw in its opening La Liga match against Getafe before picking a win up in Cadiz with two late goals. Meanwhile, the Yellow Submarine lost their opener at home to Real Betis, but they recovered to win away to Real Mallorca.      

Villarreal vs Barcelonais the match of the weekend, and it’s already a huge one for both teams.

The Blaugrana are now second favourites with SBOTOP, aswe’re pricing them at 2.75 to retain their title with Real Madrid the odds on favourites at 1.75.

Los Blancos have started the campaign with two wins and sit at the top of the table. The Yellow Submarine are fourth favourites by the way, and this is a big test for Xavi’s team.

Villarreal head coach Quique Setien has had a busy summer and he has players bedding in, while Barca have a key absentee.

Talking Points

Pedri blow for Barcelona

After drawing their opener, Barca’s game with Cadiz was a must win and they left it late, with Pedri scoring the first goal with just five minutes of normal time remaining and Ferran Torres bagging an injury time second.

With 75-per cent possession and 10 shots on target to one, the Catalans were by far the better team. Even though he is still only 20 years of age, Pedri has been Xavi’s main man in midfield and has become an important player for Spain.

But in the aftermath of Barca’s victory over Cadiz, the club announced the sad La Liga 2023 news that Pedri had picked up a thigh injury and will be out for around a month.

Xavi likes to play four across the midfield to help his team dominate possession and create plenty of opportunities, and he has some other creative talents to call upon.

New recruit Ilkay Gundogan is a class act and he set up Pedri’s goal against Cadiz, while Frenkie De Jong and Gavi provide more creative flair. The defencive midfield duties are likely to be carried out by Oriol Romeu who adds steel to the midfield four.

With Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix hopefully signing with Barcelona soon, Xavi almost has his squad complete, but the Blaugrana will be hoping to see Robert Lewandowski get into his stride quickly, as the normally lethal striker has looked a little off the pace so far, but surely it is a matter of time before he opens his account.

Big changes at Villarreal

Setien has seen two of Villarreal’s biggest stars leave over the summer, but he has moved quickly to bring in replacements.

The departure of the highly-rated Pau Torres to Aston Villa has seen centre-back Matteo Gabbia on loan from AC Milan and he has started so far.

And following the transfer of striker Nicolas Jackson to Chelsea, Alexander Sorloth has arrived from RB Leipzig to lead the line alongside Villarreal’s talisman Gerard Moreno.

The Spain international scored the Yellow Submarine’s winner against Mallorca last weekend, and he will be the biggest threat to Barca’s defence on Sunday.

There might be another departure or two at the club as out of favour midfielder Manu Trigueros is saying that he is prepared to leave before the window closes. Setien is wel- stocked in midfield with Dani Parejo, Alex Baena, Etienne Capoue, and Ramon Terrats joined by the incoming Denis Suarez.

And winger Yerry Pino has been linked with Manchester United. The 20-year-old is valued at €40 million, but that potential deal has a long way to go yet. Pino hasn’t been the most consistent of players, but he is young and has bags of potential, and I’m sure Setien would prefer he stays at the club.        

History

The Blaugrana have had the better of the head-to-heads over the past 25 years, winning 31 of the 50 meetings, while the Yellow Submarine have won nine and drawn 10.

Villarreal’s last home win against Barcelona came way back in 2007, and last season, Xavi’s men won 1-0 on their route to the La Liga title as Pedri scored the winner. 

In terms of recent form, Barca’s pre-season was the stronger of the two, and they come into the game with four wins from the last six games, while Villarreal’s 1-0 victory over Mallorca was their first in six.   

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2023 betting odds are pointing to an away win, but all three outcomes are in play, with Barca at 2.06, Villarreal at 3.06, and the draw at 3.16. I think Barcelona should have the slightest edge, so I’m going for a draw or a narrow win. For a correct scoreline, a 1-1 draw is priced at 5.99 and a 2-1 away victory is at 7.14.

 

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