In the 26th round of the Spanish La Liga on February 28, 2026, Barcelona will face Villarreal. The visitors will try to challenge the favorite.
The Camp Nou giants lost only to Inter in the Champions League last season, just before the final — domestically, they won everything. This season, the team appears to be on track. They looked confident in the Champions League and started 2026 with a Super Cup victory.
However, they suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat to Atletico in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. In La Liga, they are in a tense race with Real Madrid. After losing to Girona, they briefly lost top spot but immediately reclaimed it with a win over Levante while their eternal rivals slipped up against Osasuna.
The team from “La Cerámica” broke into the top five last season. That earned them a Champions League spot, where they completely underperformed. They were also knocked out of the cup by Racing. So, La Liga is their main focus. They started well and competed with Atletico for third place until mid-winter. Then a clear slump followed. Only in February did they defeat Espanyol. After losing to Getafe, they took maximum points from matches against Levante and Valencia.
The reigning champions remain impressive: 2.68 goals scored per match and only about one conceded. Marcelino’s side averages 1.88 goals scored and 1.08 conceded per game.
Barcelona have not won in three matches across all competitions since the beginning of winter
60% of Barcelona’s matches end with both teams scoring, and the average total goals per match is 3.68
Villarreal have won three of their last four games
52% of Villarreal’s matches end with both teams scoring, with an average total of 2.96 goals per match
Barcelona vs Villarreal: Possible Starting Line-ups
Barcelona (probable line-up): Garcia – Balde, Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Kounde – Olmo, Casado, Fermin Lopez – Rashford, Lewandowski, Yamal
Villarreal (probable line-up): Junior – S. Cardona, Veiga, Navarro, Mourinho – Moleiro, Parejo, Guye, Buchanan – Mikautadze, Pepe
Previous Matches: Barcelona vs Villarreal
In the last five matches, the teams have strictly alternated victories.
