Villarreal vs Barcelona Betting Tips & Predictions

If Barcelona aren’t going to win La Liga this season then this is surely one of the games where they will slip up. They’ve scored 15 goals in their last 3 league matches but this will be considerably more difficult against a Villarreal side that has the 3rd best defensive record in the division and is very strong at home.

Barca were comfortable in the end against Arsenal in the Champions League in midweek, winning 3-1 to secure a 5-1 aggregate victory and a Quarter-Final against Atletico Madrid. Atleti are also their closest rivals in the league but the Catalans have a very comfortable 8 point advantage with 9 to play and Barca have won all of their last 12 league matches.

Villarreal will fancy they can cause a shock though having already beaten Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at El Madrigal this season. If they win this they will have completed 5 wins out of 5 at home to the sides currently in the top six and recent victories over Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen at home in the Europa League prove they are clearly a tough side to beat on their own patch. They have though only won 1 of their last 5 matches in all competitions and suffered a shock defeat to Las Palmas in their most recent home league game.

They have though won 17 of their 22 home games this term in all competitions and it is almost a year since they were beaten by more than 1 goal on their own ground. Barcelona haven’t been as convincing on the road as they have been at home. Already in 2016 they have dropped points at Espanyol and been restricted to 1 goal wins by Malaga and Las Palmas away from home. Villarreal are a very well organised and defensively solid side who won’t be too ambitious here so backing Villarreal +1.5 Asian Handicap at 1.950 looks good although Barcelona are still the more likely side to edge it.