Barcelona starts their La Liga 2020-21 season campaign at home where they play host to side Villarreal. The match schedules for Sunday at the Camp Nou with kickoff at 10 pm.
It marks new manager Ronald Koeman’s first time in charge of Barcelona at Camp Nou. The Catalans will be looking for a positive start this weekend. But they face an energized Villarreal side with already four points in the bag.
It has been a troubling summer transfer window for Barcelona following their embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich. New transformations saw the sacking of manager Setien. The camp was faced with a stiff battle to keep hold of their talisman Lionel Messi who has set to leave his boyhood club.
Changes in the squad saw the release of Luis Suarez from the club to join Atletico Madrid. Arturo Vidal recently terminated his contract with the Catalan giants to join Inter Milan. New signings depend on summer sales with Semedo headed to Wolves.
Villarreal looks to take advantage of the disarray at the camp and push their impressive run in the La Liga. Coach Unai Emery is proving his worth at the club following his exit from Arsenal. The side finished fifth in last season’s ranking and booked a spot in the Europa League. Emery has a good reputation in the Europa with three wins with Sevilla and a final with Arsenal.
Barcelona vs Villarreal Head to Head
Both sides have 31 games against each other with Barcelona taking home 21 wins while Villarreal with three wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
Barcelona 1-0 Elche FC
Catalns 3-1 Girona
Barcelona 3-1 Gimnastic de Tarragona
Bayern 2-8 Barcelona
Away
Villarreal 2-1 Eibar
Villarreal 1-1 Huesca
VL 1-2 Levante
Villarreal 2-0 Real Sociedad
Villarreal 1-2 Valencia
Barcelona Team News
No. 1 goalkeeper Ter Stegen remains sidelined till October with an ankle injury. It gives Neto a chance to be between the sticks this weekend. Injury woes at the camp include Samuel Umtiti and Braithwaite. Countinho and Ansu Fatu could earn first debuts ahead of the new season.
Villarreal Team News
Injury concerns for Emery include Alberto Moreno, Ruben Pena and Ramiro Guerra. Raul Albiol is a doubt ahead of the clash with a broken nose. Pau Torres earns his place at the centre back position.
Prediction and Odds
Villarreal benefits from hitting the ground running with two games, but Barcelona holds an upper hand with friendlies.
Draw
Both Teams to Score
Goals Under 3.5
