Round 17 - La Liga
Villarreal CF VS FC Barcelona
Estadio de la Cerámica
22 December, 2025
Overview:
Close LaLiga clash at Estadio de la Cerámica between 3rd-place Villarreal and leaders Barcelona; Villarreal’s compact counter-attacking system and set-piece threat versus Barcelona’s high-possession, creative wing play makes this a competitive fixture where Barcelona are marginal favorites but Villarreal can exploit transitional moments.
Recent H2H results: Most recent meetings: Villarreal 2-3 Barcelona (May 2025); Villarreal 1-5 Barcelona (2024/25)
Prediction:
Based on current form and stats, we expect a close contest with a final score of 1-2 in favor of FC Barcelona.
Villarreal will sit slightly deeper and aim to force turnovers for rapid counters and set-piece opportunities; Barcelona will probe through wide combinations and positional rotations — success depends on Barcelona breaking Villarreal’s compact midfield without leaving gaps for counters.
Villarreal’s counter threat and set-pieces raise the probability of goals for both sides and reduce margin of victory for Barcelona; Barcelona’s superior possession and chance-creation still tilt expected outcome toward an away win but with a significant draw/upset chance.
Last Update: 20-12-2025
Stats:
| Villarreal CF | FC Barcelona |
|---|---|
| Expected Possession | |
| 44 | 56 |
| Average Goals Per Match | |
| 1.7 | 2.8 |
| Win Probability | |
| 0.22 | 0.5 |
| Position | Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barça | 21 | 1 | 4 | 64 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 19 | 3 | 4 | 60 |
| 3 | Atleti | 15 | 6 | 5 | 51 |
| 4 | Villarreal | 16 | 3 | 7 | 51 |
| 5 | Real Betis | 11 | 10 | 5 | 43 |
| 6 | Celta | 10 | 10 | 6 | 40 |
| 7 | Espanyol | 10 | 6 | 10 | 36 |
| 8 | Real Sociedad | 9 | 8 | 9 | 35 |
| 9 | Athletic | 10 | 5 | 11 | 35 |
| 10 | Osasuna | 9 | 6 | 11 | 33 |
| 11 | Getafe | 9 | 5 | 12 | 32 |
| 12 | Sevilla FC | 8 | 6 | 12 | 30 |
| 13 | Girona | 7 | 9 | 10 | 30 |
| 14 | Valencia | 7 | 8 | 11 | 29 |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 6 | 9 | 10 | 27 |
| 16 | Alavés | 7 | 6 | 13 | 27 |
| 17 | Elche | 5 | 11 | 10 | 26 |
| 18 | Mallorca | 6 | 6 | 14 | 24 |
| 19 | Levante | 5 | 6 | 15 | 21 |
| 20 | Real Oviedo | 3 | 8 | 14 | 17 |
| Name | Club | Country | Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Mbappé | RMA | FRA | 23 | 23 | 4 |
| V. Muriqi | MAL | KOS | 25 | 16 | 1 |
| L. Yamal | FCB | SPA | 22 | 13 | 9 |
| F. Torres | FCB | SPA | 24 | 12 | 2 |
