Villarreal Vs. Barcelona: El Barca Wants Perfect Results At The Estadio De La Ceramica

Lamine Yamal is again Barcelona's mainstay (photo: x @FCBarcelona)

JAKARTA - In the sixth week of the 2024-25 La Liga competition, an interesting match will take place at the Estadio de la Ceramica, when Villarreal host Barcelona, Sunday 22 September. Currently, Barcelona are at the top of the standings with five wins from five matches, while Villarreal is also starting the season well, sitting fourth with 11 points.

Villarreal, who finished eighth last season, showed impressive performance early in the campaign. They won three wins and two draws from five matches, including two consecutive wins against Sevilla and Celta Vigo.

Villarreal defended well in the opening match against Atletico Madrid which ended in a 2-2 draw, before beating Mallorca 2-1 in the last game, where Ayoze Perez scored the decisive goal in the final minute.

Barcelona, on the other hand, suffered a 2-1 defeat against Monaco in the Champions League group stage match. The red cards received by Eric Garcia made it difficult for them, even though Lamine Yamal managed to equalize. However, Barcelona still showed dominance in La Liga with five consecutive wins, beating Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Rayo Vallecano, Real Valladolid, and Girona. They are eyeing victory to maintain the top position of the standings and improve performance in Europe.

The Villarreal team will lose four players due to injury, namely Willy Kambwala, Gerard Moreno, Juan Foyth, and Alfonso Pedraza. Ayoze Perez, who has scored three goals in five appearances, will lead the attack line. Coach Marcelino Garcia Toral may retain the same team line, with Thierno Barry expected to continue appearing as a starter.

Meanwhile, Barcelona will also lose a number of players due to injuries, including Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi. Ferran Torres also couldn't play due to the red card he got.

Luckily, Eric Garcia was able to return to play after the red card he received in the Champions League. Marc Casado, who was injured, is expected to appear in this match. Lamine Yamal, who performed brilliantly with four goals and four assists, will again be trusted to be a starter.

This match is predicted to be an exciting duel between the two teams with big ambitions. Villarreal is trying to win at home after beating Barcelona last time at the Estadio de la Ceramica in October 2007. On the other hand, Barcelona want to continue their positive record and keep their distance from competitors in the standings.

With the different team conditions and the same ambition, this match is predicted to be fierce and full of drama.

Player Composition Forecast

Villarreal: Conde; Femenia, Albiol, Costa, S Cardona; Akhomach, Comesana, Parejo, Baena; Perez, Barry.

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Casado, E Garcia, Pedri; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha