Villarreal vs Barcelona: The Battle of Two of the Hottest Teams in La Liga

JAKARTA - Estadio de la Ceramica will be the stage for a big La Liga match, Sunday, December 22, when the leader of the standings Barcelona travels to the home of third-ranked Villarreal. This match brings together two teams with the best performance in Spain ahead of the winter break.

Villarreal and Barcelona both come into the game with a record of consecutive league wins. Villarreal won their last six La Liga games, while Barcelona recorded seven consecutive wins. One of those records is sure to be halted this weekend.

Even though Villarreal lost in the last two matches in non-league events - losing to Copenhagen in the Champions League and Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey - the team coached by Marcelino still performed solidly in domestic competitions. From 15 La Liga matches this season, the Yellow Submarine won 11 victories, two draws, and two defeats, collecting 35 points and still having two postponed matches.

Villarreal's main strength lies in the back line. They became the team with the best defense in La Liga, conceding only 13 goals. This record is an important capital when facing Barcelona, who often appear less convincing in the defense sector, although they are very sharp in the front line.

Barcelona themselves come into the game high on confidence after knocking out Guadalajara 2-0 in the Copa del Rey. Hansi Flick's side have won their last six games in all competitions and scored 49 goals from 17 league games, the most prolific team in La Liga this season.

Currently, the Blaugrana have collected 43 points from 17 matches, four points ahead of Real Madrid in second place. Their consistency in the attack is the main difference, especially with the presence of young players like Lamine Yamal and the speed of Ferran Torres.

Villarreal has to face a storm of injuries. A number of key players such as Gerard Moreno, Thomas Partey, Willy Kambwala, to Pape Gueye and Ilias Akhomach (AFCON) are confirmed to be absent. Good news comes from Dani Parejo who has the chance to appear even though he had a minor injury.

Barcelona also did not come with full strength. Pedri is in doubt to appear due to a calf injury, while Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Dani Olmo are still absent. Hansi Flick is expected to field a duet of Frenkie de Jong and Eric Garcia in the midfield, with Ferran Torres leading the attack.

This match is predicted to be tight and open. Villarreal has a solid defense and the advantage of playing at home, but the sharpness of Barcelona's front line is believed to be able to determine the goal-laden match at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Susunan Pemain Perkiraan

Villarreal (4-4-2): Junior; Navarro, Foyth, Veiga, Cardona; Buchanan, Parejo, Comesana, Moleiro; Perez, Mikautadze

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): J Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Balde; De Jong, E Garcia; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Torres

Prediction Score Villarreal 2-3 Barcelona