Villarreal vs Barcelona: VIL vs BAR: Barcelona will face Villarreal in their 2nd match on the road. In their first away match, the match ended in a goalless draw against Getafe. They fortunately won their second match at home by a 2-0 margin against Cadiz. However, the match’s scorer and key player Pedri sustained a thigh injury in the last match. He will be joining Ronald Araujo and Raphinha on the list of players who will be missing the match. La Blaugrana could have a hard time in their absence.
Barcelona players met with viral gastroenteritis before the first match of their pre-season campaign. They couldn’t even appear for the first match. They lost their first pre-season match against Arsenal. However, they won the rest of their 2 pre-season matches. They also won the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Tottenham Hotspur. However, their first La Liga match did not go well. They ended the opening match in a goalless draw against Getafe. Only in the first half, Raphinha received two yellow cards.
The resulting red card meant the winger would be missing two games. He missed Barcelona’s second match and the win against Cadiz. He will miss this match against Villarreal as well. La Blaugrana struggled against Cadiz as well. It wasn’t until the 82nd minute that Pedri broke the deadlock for Barcelona. Ferran Torres doubled the lead in the 90+4th minute and sealed the win for La Blaugrana. However, Pedri sustained a thigh injury in the match and was taken off.
New arrival Martinez is also on the injured players’ list. He also has not been registered yet by La Liga. Additionally, the team is surely missing some firepower in the final third with the departure of Ousmane Dembele. Robert Lewandowski is amazing at goals, but he is not in his peak form now. Coach Xavi could again opt for a 3-4-3 formation to lineup in this match. The coach will probably start the talented youngster Lamine Yamal in the side again.
In the meantime, Torres, who came off the bench in the 85th minute and scored the second goal, could start in place of Pedri. De Jong, Kounde, and Christian would be making the defense line in that case. The midfield will be composed of Yamal, Romeu, Gundogan, and Balde. Meanwhile, Torres, Lewandowski, and Gavi could be starting in the final third.
Barcelona Predicted XI: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Christensen, De Jong; Yamal, Romeu, Gundogan, Balde; Gavi, Lewandowski, Torres
Editors pick
