The Barcelona juggernaut is back. Lionel Messi and crew have been banging in the goals (and the wins) since the start of the New Year, and are looking more like the irresistible force many expected them to be this season of late.
But upstart Villarreal have been on a similarly impressive unbeaten streak as their well-organized defense looks to slow down Barca’s all-world attack at the Camp Nou. Learn more about this spicy Spanish showdown with our preview below.
Over in England, the Premier League title race will be the center of attention this weekend as Chelsea and Manchester City collide in a battle between the country’s top two clubs. Click here for our preview of that top-of-the-table clash.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Second-place Barcelona are in need of a win to keep pace with leaders Real Madrid, who are one point ahead with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Villarreal will be eager to continue their amazing run and could possibly break into the top four with a shock win.
Betting on Barcelona
Crisis? What crisis? After enduring some growing pains with new manager Luis Enrique, Barcelona have silenced their doubters with a very impressive recent run of results. Since losing to Real Sociedad in their first game of 2015, Barca have reeled off six straight wins in all competitions, nearly all of them in emphatic fashion.
They demolished Elche 9-0 on aggregate in the Copa del Rey and hold a 1-0 edge over Atletico Madrid in their two-legged tie. In the league, Barca recorded a crucial 3-1 home win over title rivals Atletico in perhaps their most impressive performance of the season. They followed that up by winning consecutive away games against Deportivo and Elche by a combined 10-0.
(UPDATE: Barca advanced in the Copa del Rey by beating Atletico, 3-2, in the 2nd leg on Wednesday.)
Lionel Messi has been in absolutely scintillating form to start the year. The Argentine wizard has fired in 10 goals and dished out seven assists in his last seven games. He and fellow phenom Neymar combined beautifully in their most recent 6-0 dismantling of Elche last Saturday.
Expect Barca’s well-oiled attack to cause a lot of problems against a Villarreal defense that will be missing one of its key contributors. And while Barca’s own defense has conceded in three of its last four home games, they still won those games, 5-1 (twice) and 3-1.
Barcelona have been close to unstoppable at the Camp Nou in the league this season. They’re 8-1-0 with 32 goals scored and just four conceded.
Betting on Villarreal
There’s no doubt about it: Villarreal are for real. With their 1-0 win over Levante last Saturday, the Yellow Submarines have now gone a club record 17 games unbeaten (12-0-5). Their defense has been instrumental in their success, with just 10 goals conceded in those 17 games.
That terrific unit took a substantial hit with the sale of starting centerback Gabriel Paulista to English giants Arsenal. However, 24-year old Mateo Musacchio started in place of Gabriel against Levante, and contributed to yet another clean sheet.
Barcelona will obviously be a much more difficult test for the young defender, but captain Bruno Soriano will be there to help him out. Soriano has been the midfield shield of a very well-organized unit that owns the third-best defensive record in the league with just 17 goals conceded.
Seven of Villarreal’s 11 wins this season have come at home, but they remain a tough team to beat away from El Madrigal. They’ve lost just once on the road (4-1-5) this season. They also scored a huge 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in mid-December to hand the defending champions their first home loss.
Up front, the Yellow Submarines have a legitimate match-winner in Luciano Vietto, who scored the decisive goal in their wins against Atletico and Levante. He now has a team-leading nine league goals this season and will be counted on to snatch a goal against Barca’s league-leading defense.
Writer’s Prediction
Barcelona prevails 2-0 at home. Create a betting account now and take part in more sizzling Spanish soccer action.
