ADVERTISEMENT
FULL TIMELast update 7:42 PM ET
The match is over! The action has ended, Barcelona convincingly defeated Villarreal and secured three points to temporarily reclaim the top spot. What a moment at the stadium! It was a really good match.
Key moments
- 12:20 PM ET97'Full-time
- 12:20 PM ET94'VAR
- 12:13 PM ET91'Goal · FC Barcelona 4-1
- 11:50 AM ET69'Goal by Lamine Yamal · 3-1
- 11:38 AM ET49'Goal by Joan García's · 2-1
- 11:38 AM ET46'Second half
- 11:08 AM ET45+3'Half-time
- 11:00 AM ET37'Goal · FC Barcelona 2-0
- 10:56 AM ET28'Goal · FC Barcelona 1-0
- 10:29 AM ET0'Kick-off
Disallowed! What a moment Tani Oluwaseyi tried to orchestrate in favor of the visitors, sending a good ball for Alfon González to powerfully strike for the second goal, but the ball failed to continue its course due to being offside.
Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal for Barcelona! What a great through ball from Pedri to Koundé, who sends it into the center of the box where Robert Lewandowski is waiting to tap it into the back of the net. The goal was given.
They're going for more! What a great ball Eric García sent in looking for the fourth goal of the match. The ball traveled and reached Fermín López, who tried his luck from outside the box, but the ball just missed the target.
Another substitution for the visitors, who are looking to equalize. Nicolas Pepé leaves the field, he had a great game, Tani Oluwaseyi enters the game, he will try to add goals to his team. They want goals.
Two more substitutions for Villarreal, the last of the match for the visitors. Sergi Cardona and Santiago Comesaña leave the field, and Alfon González and Dani Parejo enter the pitch, looking to add more goals.
They keep searching! Barcelona doesn't give up and continues to create danger in attack. What a great moment for Rashford, the player managed to send in a good cross that ended up being headed by Robert Lewandowski, but it went wide.
Two more changes are made, the last for Barcelona in this closing stage of the game. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal leave the field, both receiving a standing ovation from the fans, and Marcus Rashford and Roony enter the match.
Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal for Barcelona! The third goal of the match! What a great through ball from Pedri! The ball reached Lamine Yamal, who dribbled past several defenders and fired a powerful shot to make it 3-0.
The visiting team changes its lineup; Villarreal wants to find the goal that will equalize the score. Alberto Moleiro and Ayoze Pérez, who gave their all, leave the game; Alfonso Pedraza and Tajon Buchanan enter the field.
Two changes are made to the match so far, Barcelona are making their moves. Ferran Torres and Marc Bernal leave the field, replaced by Robert Lewandowski and Ronald Araújo, looking to create more attacking opportunities.
Raphinha almost added another assist to his personal tally, after sending a good cross into the area, Ferran Torres was there to receive the ball and send a tremendous shot towards the goal, but it ended up being well stopped.
Barcelona makes a change. Hansi Flick shuffles his lineup for the second half, looking to add more attacking impetus. Dani Olmo leaves the field to applause, and Pedri comes on to try and create more opportunities.
Tempers flare after a tackle by Raphinha, but the play comes to nothing. However, the visiting fans end up crowding the Barcelona player. The atmosphere on the pitch is electric; they need to create chances.
They're going all out! What a great cross from Georges Mikautadze! The ball reached the area where Nicolas Pépé was waiting. He got a shot away, but it was well cleared. What a complicated moment for both teams.
Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal for Villarreal! What a great assist from Santiago Mouriño from the corner kick! The ball traveled and reached the area where Pape Gueye was waiting. He fired a powerful shot that found the back of Joan García's net.
Play resumes for the second half. Both teams return with the same starting eleven. It will be 45 minutes where both sides are expected to look for ways to create scoring opportunities. It promises to be an exciting second half between these two teams.
Halftime. The first half ends, Barcelona leads and has consistently created dangerous opportunities. Villarreal continues to struggle to capitalize on their chances, so it's expected that both teams will regroup in these final 15 minutes.
Three more minutes are added to this first half; these will be very interesting moments in this closing part of the game. Both teams will look for ways to create dangerous moments for their side. What a closed.
That was close! What a great play Raphinha managed to send to the goal, he shot powerfully after a free kick. The ball traveled and almost went in, but the goalkeeper made the save. They want more goals.
Barcelona was looking for their third goal of the match. Raphinha made a good run that ended with the ball reaching Fermín López, but the referee stopped play. It was López who was offside, so the play ended there.
Goal, goal, goal, goal for Barcelona! It's Lamine again! What a great play by the striker! He dribbled down the wing, cut inside into the penalty area, and fired a powerful shot to make it 2-0. What a moment.
Villarreal continues to press. Nicolas Pépé was looking to create a dangerous attacking opportunity in the opposition's half, but after passing the ball to Ayoze Pérez, he was caught offside, and the play was ruled out.
Fouls are rampant, and despite the visiting team's attempts to equalize, little to nothing has been achieved so far. It's a hard-fought match unfolding at the Nou Camp. It is a really moved match in this moment.
Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal for Barcelona! What a great move by the home side! After a cross from Fermín López, the ball reached Lamine Yamal, who dribbled into the box and finished with his left foot to open the scoring.
Almost! What a great moment Raphinha created in this match, the player sent a powerful cross into the area for Lamine Yamal to appear in that zone, he managed to shoot with power, but the ball was stopped.
Lamine Yamal was looking to create danger in the opposition's half, the striker was getting forward with considerable force, but it was Sergi Cardona who ended up being brought down by him, preventing him from reaching the goal.
Both teams have looked for ways to create damage in the opponent's area, however, despite the insistence, the ball does not want to go under the three posts, a very close match is expected on the Blaugrana pitch.
What a great play by the home side! After a cross from Fermín López, looking to score the first goal of the match, Jules Koundé appeared in the box and unleashed a powerful shot that went just wide of the post.
Close for the home side! Fermín López received a great ball, the player managed to control it and send a powerful right-footed shot that ended up going wide, he wanted to add the first goal to the scoreboard for this match.
It's a constant back-and-forth, both teams looking to create dangerous plays that will give them some exciting moments in the attacking third. They need to orchestrate some key moments in front of the opposing goal.
Close! Villarreal were looking to create the first real chance, what a great moment Pau Navarro was putting together, assisting Ayoze Pérez, however the referee ended up canceling the entire play due to an offside by the latter.
Little by little, both teams are starting to create danger in the attacking third. They're both looking to create chances and add some dangerous plays to their attack. We expect an exciting match today.
The action kicks off between Barcelona and Villarreal in this match. We have 90 minutes ahead where both teams are expected to create exciting attacking opportunities and open the scoring early on, what a game.
Villarreal XI
These are the starting eleven players for the visitors.
1 Luiz Júnior
12 Renato Veiga
6 Pau Navarro
23 Sergi Cardona
15 Santiago Mouriño
18 Pape Gueye
14 Santi Comesaña
20 Alberto Moleiro
19 Nicolas Pépé
9 Georges Mikautadze
22 Ayoze Pérez
Barcelona XI
This is how the Blaugrana take to the pitch .
13 Joan Garcia
24 Eric Garcia
5 Pau Cubarsi
3 Alejandro Balde
23 Jules Koundé
22 Marc Bernal
20 Dani Olmo
16 Fermin Lopez
7 Ferran Torres
11 Raphinha
10 Lamine Yamal
Everything is ready
Inside the Camp Nou, the teams are ready and waiting for the referee to start the 90 minutes. Fans, coaching staff, and players are all waiting for the referee to begin the pre-match protocol and then kick off.
They want to improve
Villarreal has had a very good tournament. The visiting team comes into this match with 51 points, placing them third in the standings. It's also important to note that they have accumulated a total of 16 wins, three draws, and six losses.
They're aiming for more
They come into this match in first place overall with 61 points, just one point ahead of Real Madrid. The home team has 20 wins, one draw, and only four losses. They will be looking to continue adding three points and further extend their lead.
Almost there
There's just under half an hour until this important match, corresponding to Matchday 26 of LaLiga, kicks off. Ninety minutes of excitement are coming up, where both teams will look to create danger and exciting plays to score goals.
Player to Watch
Alberto Moreiro is the player to watch for the visiting team. He comes into this match having scored nine goals in his last 24 appearances. He needs to find ways to create more danger and risky plays that end in goals for his team.
Want More
Ferran Torres is the striker Villarreal will have to pay close attention to. He comes into this match having scored 12 goals in his last 23 appearances. He needs to continue creating dangerous plays and attacking opportunities to secure more victories for the Blaugrana.
Head-to-Head
Although these teams have faced each other quite a few times, we will only discuss the last five matches. Among these matches, there have been some very interesting and high-scoring duels. It's important to note that Barcelona comes into this match with three wins to Villarreal's two, and they'll be looking to continue building momentum.
For more moments
Villarreal comes into this match with three wins, one draw, and one loss in their last five matches, all of which have been in LaLiga. They arrive with good numbers, but they're hoping for another victory and three more points.
Want more
Barcelona has been quite strong at home, but it's worth noting that in their last five matches, the Spanish side has three wins and two losses, both away from home. They'll be looking to turn their bad run around and get another win in front of their fans.
We're back
We're back with live coverage of the match corresponding to Matchday 26 of this Spanish competition, where Barcelona hosts Villarreal. We will soon share the most relevant information about both teams, as well as the confirmed lineups and everything else happening at this venue.
Explore more stats, standings and news on VAVEL Data: FC Barcelona · Villarreal
