Barcelona vs Villarreal betting tips: La Liga preview, predictions and odds

Recommended bets

Barcelona are unbeaten in 27 meetings with Villarreal, dating back to 2008, winning 21 of these fixtures. Since that famous win for the Yellow Submarine at Camp Nou 14 years ago, Barça have scored 72 goals against Villarreal, and average of 2.67 per game.

Barcelona to win and over 2.5 goals is 15/8.

Barcelona to win and both teams to score is 12/5.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is 15/4 to break the deadlock and 10/11 to add to his 13 goals for Barça.

Match preview

Safe to say it's been an eventful season at Barcelona.

It feels like decades ago but Lionel Messi announcing his departure from the club happened a mere 290 days ago.

More recently, in October to be precise, Ronald Koeman was sacked as Head Coach, leaving Barça ninth following a 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

Xavi then came in, bringing a new hope, winning 13 of his first 18 La Liga games in charge, including a 4-0 Clásico demolition at the Bernabéu.

However, the Blaugrana then lost three home games on the bounce within the same season for the first time ever.

Cádiz and Rayo Vallecano enjoyed shock 1-0 wins at Camp Nou immediately after Eintracht Frankfurt had shattered Barça's Europa League dreams.

All in all though, Barcelona will finish second, thereby qualifying for next season's Champions League as well as the Supercopa de España.

So, will Xavi's team end a rollercoaster campaign with a victory?

As for Villarreal they, against all odds, reached the Champions League semi-finals this season, something Barça have only managed once since 2015.

However, Unai Emery's team might need a result on the final day, or risk missing out on UEFA competition for next season.

Last weekend, El Submarino Amarillo's top six hopes were ended by Real Sociedad.

Francis Coquelin actually broke the deadlock at Estadio de la Cerámica, only for La Real to fight back and win 2-1.

So, Villarreal currently sit seventh, occupying the Europa Conference League spot, but with Athletic Club just one point behind.

The Basque giants travel to Sevilla simultaneously, with Villarreal needing to match (or better) Athletic's result to cling onto seventh.

Having beaten Juventus in Turin and held Bayern in Munich this season, can Villarreal claim a crucial result in Catalonia?

Barcelona team news

Ansu Fati has only made 14 appearances this season due to injury but has come off the bench in each of Barça's last four games.

He'll be hoping for more minutes here but with Ousmane Dembélé, Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starting in attack.

Memphis, who's actually Barcelona's top scorer this season with 12, could be back on the bench.

The Dutchman is set to join Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o as the only players to end a campaign as Barça's top-scorer since 2003.

In midfield, Pedri and Nico are injured but, in better news, Frenkie de Jong is available again after a one-match suspension.

So, he'll displace Riqui Puig, starting alongside Gavi and veteran Sergio Busquets.

In defence, Dani Alves will keep his place at right-back with Sergiño Dest out injured.

Likewise, in the middle, there's no Eric García or Gerard Piqué, so Óscar Mingueza, Ronald Araújo and Clément Lenglet are the options.

Álex Balde started a La Liga game for the first time last Sunday and, if Jordi Alba isn't back, he'll keep his place.

Villarreal team news

Villarreal are without top-scorer Arnaut Danjuma as well as last season's leading marksman Gerard Moreno, both of whom are injured.

So, Paco Alcácer will lead the attack against his former club with Boulaye Dia, Giovani Lo Celso and Samuel Chukwueze in support.

Pau Torres might be leaving the club this summer but will continue alongside Raúl Albiol at centre-back.

With Alberto Moreno out long-term, Pervis Estupiñán will be at left-back.

La Liga table:

- 101 Great Goals may earn commission from links on this page. Our content is always original. Note that all of our reviewers are compensated for contributing content to 101 Great Goals. Learn more.