The lowdown on Villarreal CF

FC Barcelona are heading down the Mediterranean coast to Villarreal this Sunday at 4.15 pm CEST. Let’s take a closer look at the opposition.

HISTORY

Villarreal are the classic example how a team from a small town can mix it with the big boys. The club spent most of its existence in the regional leagues, but made it into the second division in the 1990s and in 1998 won promotion to the top flight for the first time ever.

They weren’t expected to stay long, but two decades later they are still there. In 2008 they finished as high as second, they made it as far as the Champions League semi-finals in 2006, and will now be playing European football for the sixth consecutive season.

Not bad for a city of just 50,000 people!

STADIUM

Opened way back in 1923, El Madrigal was re-named El Estadio de la Cerámica in 2017 in honour of the local industry. A lot of rebuilding work has gone on since the club has been playing in the top flight, although the 24,890 capacity still makes it one of the smaller venues in La Liga.

HEAD TO HEAD

There was a period about a decade ago when Barça developed a nasty habit of slipping up against Villarreal. But the ‘bogey team’ label has been emphatically confined to the past and Barça are on an incredible run of 25 games without defeat to the ‘Yellow Submarine’ in all competitions.

Thirteen of those games have been played in Villarreal:

2020 Villarreal 1-4 Barça (Liga)
2019 Villarreal 4-4 Barça (Liga)
2017 Villarreal 0-2 Barça (Liga)
2017 Villarreal 1-1 Barça (Liga)
2016 Villarreal 2-2 Barça (Liga)
2015 Villarreal 1-3 Barça (Copa del Rey)
2014 Villarreal 0-1 Barça (Liga)
2014 Villarreal 2-3 Barça (Liga)
2012 Villarreal 0-0 Barça (Liga)
2011 Villarreal 0-1 Barça (Liga)
2010 Villarreal 1-4 Barça (Liga)
2008 Villarreal 1-2 Barça (Liga)
2008 Villarreal 0-0 Barça (Copa del Rey)

Barça also beat Villarreal 4-0 at Camp Nou in the first game of the current season. Ansu Fati scored twice in three minutes to get the Catalans off to a fine start, and the other goals came from Leo Messi and an own goal...

FORM GUIDE

After 18 weeks, Villarreal were in the Champions League positions and had only been beaten twice (by Barça and Sevilla). They’re still going strong in seventh, but their unbeaten home record been hit badly. Betis, Atlético Madrid and Osasuna have all taken three points at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

Meanwhile, they have been making fantastic progress in the Europa League. After winning their group, they then defeated Red Bull Salzburg, Dynamo Kyiv and Dinamo Zagreb to earn a semi-final against Arsenal. They’re at home in the first leg this coming Thursday.  

THE PLAYERS

The most familiar face in the squad for Barça fans is Paco Alcácer (PICTURED BELOW) who wore blaugrana from 2016 to 2018 and is now back in La Liga after an impressive spell with Borussia Dortmund.

International caps
Raul Albiol (Spain, 56), Carlos Bacca (Colombia, 52) and Ramiro Funes Mori (Argentina, 26), Samuel Chukwueze (Nigeria, 19), Paco Alcácer (Spain, 19), Juan Foyth (Argentina, 11), Pau Torres (Spain, 7), Étienne Capoue (France, 7), Pervis Estupiñán (Ecuador, 5)

Top goalscorers 2020/21 (all competitions)
Gerard Moreno (26), Paco Alcácer (11), Fernando Niño (8), Carlos Bacca (6), Yeremi Pino (5)

THE BOSS

Unai Emery replaced Javier Calleja as head coach at the start of the season, and he’s one of the most experienced en in the business. Winner of three Europa Leagues with Sevilla, and a finalist with Arsenal, and also winner of the French league with Paris St Germain, he has also been in charge of Valencia and Spartak Moscow.

Playing Barça won’t bring back happy memories for him though. It was as PSG manager that he was at Camp Nou after his side had beaten Barça 4-0 in the 2017 Champions League round of 16. The second leg was presumably a mere formality, but we all know what happened next…