Barcelona are expected to be presented with the La Liga trophy at the end of their contest with Villarreal on Sunday evening, having secured the championship with a win in the Catalan derby on Thursday night.
Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez scored the goals as Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0 to confirm themselves as champions, but Villarreal will be bidding to spoil the title party this weekend, with the Yellow Submarine not yet certain of a top-five spot.
Match preview
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Barcelona were literally seconds away from being crowned La Liga champions on Wednesday night, with second-placed Real Madrid being held by Mallorca, but Los Blancos managed to find a last-gasp winner to keep Hansi Flick‘s side honest ahead of the clash with Espanyol.
In truth, it proved to be a routine win in the Catalan derby, with Yamal and Fermin scoring the goals, as Barcelona moved onto 85 points, seven ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, ensuring that they cannot be caught in the final two gameweeks.
Flick has secured three trophies in his first season at the helm, already lifting the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey, but the fact that the team fell short in the Champions League remains a huge frustration.
Barcelona will be back at a renovated Camp Nou next season, and it would not be a surprise to see them dominate Spanish football once again considering the talent in their squad, but Real Madrid are planning for a big summer transfer window.
The Catalan giants will end their campaign away to Athletic Bilbao next weekend, but the title party is expected to officially begin on Sunday, with the La Liga trophy set to be presented to the deserved winners.
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Villarreal can also be delighted with their 2024-25 campaign, as a total of 64 points from 36 matches has left them in fifth spot in the table, five points ahead of sixth-placed Real Betis in the race to secure Champions League football for next term.
Marcelino‘s team will enter this game off the back of four straight wins, overcoming Espanyol, Osasuna, Girona and Leganes, and their final league fixture of the campaign will come at home to Sevilla next weekend.
Villarreal have been an excellent watch this season, scoring 64 times, which is the third-best attacking record in the division, but they have conceded 47 – the most in the top six.
The Yellow Submarine recorded an incredible 5-3 victory over Barcelona in the corresponding match last season, but they suffered a 5-1 defeat when the pair locked horns for the reverse game earlier this term.
Villarreal’s last three league victories over Barcelona have actually come on their travels, and they have the second-best away record in Spain’s top flight during the 2024-25 campaign, picking up 33 points from 18 matches, so Barcelona will certainly have their work cut out this weekend against Marcelino’s talented outfit.
Team News
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Barcelona will welcome Inigo Martinez back into their squad after the experienced defender served a suspension against Espanyol, but Ronald Araujo is a doubt due to the muscular issue which forced him off on Thursday night.
Jules Kounde, Ferran Torres and Marc Bernal are also unavailable, but Flick will make changes to his side this weekend, with Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi and Fermin all in line to feature in the starting side.
Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski have all had standout campaigns for Barcelona in the final third of the field, and the trio are set to start once again, with the Catalan team bidding to reach 100 league goals for the campaign.
As for Villarreal, Kiko Femenia, Raul Albiol, Thierno Barry and Ilias Akhomach will miss the match through injury, but the visitors are otherwise in strong shape for their clash with Barcelona.
Ayoze Perez hit a brace against Leganes last time out, with the Spain international making it 18 league goals for the campaign, and he will again operate in the final third of the field on Sunday.
There may be just the one change to the side that took to the field for the first whistle last time out, with Willy Kambwala potentially coming in for Pau Navarro, which would likely lead to Juan Foyth switching across to the right-back spot.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; E Garcia, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Luiz Junior; Foyth, Kambwala, Costa, Pedraza; Gueye, Parejo; Pepe, Baena, Pino; Perez
We say: Barcelona 2-2 Villarreal
Villarreal are a quality side, and with Champions League football for next season not yet secure, we are expecting this to be a very tight match. Barcelona’s performance may drop a touch due to their title win last time out, which could allow Villarreal to pick up a welcome point in their battle to cement a position in the top five.
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