La Liga: The Clock is Ticking for Xavi and Barcelona

Barcelona vs Villarreal

It’s not a secret that Xavi is under immense pressure, as he recently talked about potentially leaving his post after Barcelona were eliminated by Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals yesterday.

The Blaugrana legend said after the match that if the team is unable to compete for trophies this season, then he will likely leave.

So Barcelona must pour all their energy towards La Liga and the Champions League. And in the Spanish top-flight, the Blaugrana still have a long way to go because they’re currently third in the standings, trailing by eight points behind surprise leaders Girona.

A victory against Villarreal, who have lost two of their last three, might change Xavi’s tone. The Yellow Submarine are only a few notches above the relegation zone, sitting in 14^th place with only 20 points.

Talking Points

Barcelona badly miss ter Stegen

Barcelona can get back on their feet if they can solve their defencive frailties, as since the start of 2024, they have already conceded a total of 14 goals in seven matches. Their only clean sheet they had in that span was against Osasuna in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals.

There are two reasons why this is so. The first is because Xavi had to rotate his backline due to their tight schedule, and the second is the long absence of their first-choice goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been one of the world’s best shot stoppers for quite some time now, and he hasn’t played since November due to a back injury. He ultimately went under the knife to fix his issues last month.

The German international recently said that he has already returned to the training field with the rest of the first team, which is the type of news Barcelona supporters want to hear since he is also one of the squad’s four captains this season.

For now, Inaki Pena will continue to start between the sticks, and it’s safe to say that he has a lot of room to improve. Many would agree that the 24-year-old needs to be more of a sweeper-keeper like ter Stegen.

Is Guedes the answer for Villarreal?

Villarreal have only recorded two goals in their last three league games while conceding seven on the other end, which is a recipe for disaster.

Since they’ve been lacking in the final third lately, the Yellow Submarine decided to bring over Goncalo Guedes from the Wolves on loan after the termination of his previous such agreement with Benfica to reinforce their attacking corps.

This move reunites Guedes with head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral, who was his boss during his previous stint with Valencia and had the most success.

The Portuguese winger came off the bench in their 1-1 draw against Mallorca on Saturday, and he can contend for a starting position this weekend, although it is still unclear how he’ll fit alongside top scorer Gerard Moreno up front.

History

Barcelona managed to defeat Villarreal during the third matchday of the 2023-24 campaign in a seven-goal thriller that featured seven different goal scorers. Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres, and Robert Lewandowski scored for the Blaugrana, while Juan Foyth, Alexander Sorloth, and Alex Baena scored for the Yellow Submarine.

Last season, Barcelona recorded a league double over Villarreal via an aggregate tally of 4-0. Villarreal’s last win over Barcelona was a 2-0 result in May 2022.

Despite being under intense scrutiny for their performances lately, Barcelona’s results have been mostly positive (W4, D2), although those two losses saw them eliminated in important Cup tournaments, hence Xavi’s somber mood.

Meanwhile, Villarreal are itching to finally win their first game of the year since their last league win was a 3-2 result at home against Celta Vigo before Christmas.

Betting Tip

Any result other than a victory is going to be considered bad for Barcelona because they’re heavily favoured in the La Liga 2024 odds. The Blaugrana are 1.32 favourites, while a rare Villarreal win is priced at 6.40, and a draw is at 5.20 in the 1X2 market.

SBOTOP football fans can also check out Total Goal 2-3 at 2.36 as a viable alternative since Xavi’s side is capable of putting up new La Liga 2024 highlights this weekend.

But if you’re swinging for the fences, then you might fancy going for Over 3.75 at 2.16 too. Meanwhile, a Correct Score of 4-3 in favour of Barca – the result of their reverse fixture this season – is being offered at a mouthwatering 85.00.

 

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