Barcelona will face a tough test when they host Villarreal as they look to put a bad run of form behind them. Bet on the match here.
Villarreal are in the very unusual position of travelling to Camp Nou while being a place above eighth placed Barcelona in the table. We definitely expect a very entertaining fixture seeing that these are the two highest scoring teams in La Liga this season with 12 goals each.
Ernesto Valverde’s side’s recent defensive efforts have been far from convincing as they have conceded at least two goals in their last four La Liga games. It is clear that this Tuesday’s clash will be extremely important for Valverde as his future with Barcelona may hinge on this game.
Betting preview
Barca have clearly had a catastrophic start to the season following two losses and a draw. However, they can boast of a perfect record at home where they have won all their league games. They beat Real Betis 5-2 before recording the same score against Valencia a few weeks later. Barcelona have won their last four home games against Villarreal with at least a two-goal difference and backing a -1 Handicap Home Win looks good at odds of 1.75.
Barcelona have found the net in three of their last five meetings in La Liga. Villarreal have scored in their last five outings. Both Teams to Score have landed in five of their last seven encounters and it is the way to go here at odds of 1.55.
The last meetings between the two formations in recent years have been rather spectacular. Three of the last five meetings have seen Over 2.5 Goals scored, including an incredible 4-4 last year at Villarreal. Odds of 1.30 looks fair for Over 2.5 Goals
Team news
Barca will again be deprived of the services of left-back Jordi Alba because of a hamstring problem and Samuel Umtiti who is injured. Ousmane Dembele could return whilst Lionel Messi should start for the first time this season. Arthur and Sergio Busquets should both return to the starting lineup as well.
Bruno Soriano and defender Alberto Moreno are expected to miss the match due to injury for the visitors. Karl Toko Ekambi, Samuel Chukwueze, Manu Trigueros and Mario Gaspar are all options in that area. Moi Gomez and Santi Cazorla should keep their place in the starting lineups
Possible lineups
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Semedo, Arthur, Busquets, De Jong, Messi, L Suarez, Griezmann.
Villarreal: Asenjo, Quintilla, Torres, Albiol, Pena, Iborra, Cazorla, Gomez, Chukwueze, Moreno, Ekambi.