Villarreal vs Barcelona Prediction: Goals the key for Barca

| Saturday 20th December 2025, 14:18pm

Saturday 20th December 2025, 14:18pm

Villarreal and Barcelona meet in a top-four showdown in La Liga on Sunday. This game was initially scheduled to take place in Miami, but will now be staged in the more familiar surroundings of the Estadio de la Cerámica.

Barcelona currently hold an eight-point advantage on their opponents, although Villarreal now have two games in hand after their derby at Levante was postponed last weekend due to bad weather. A victory for the Yellow Submarine would therefore push them firmly into the conversation when it comes to the title race.

Villarreal vs Barcelona Betting Tips

Barcelona to win & Both teams to score @ 6/4
Raphinha 3+ shots & Barcelona to score over 1.5 goals @ 13/10

*odds correct at time of publication

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

*You can check out all the Football Odds and markets on offer with us over at betfred.com

It remains highly doubtful whether they can stay the course and challenge Barça and the Madrid clubs over 38 games. However, their current league form is impressive with six straight victories in the Spanish top flight heading into this match.

Villarreal boast La Liga’s best defensive record with only 13 conceded in 15 games. Heading into this weekend, their average of 2.07 goals scored per game is also only bettered by their next opponents.

Squad depth has been key. They got good money for the likes of Thierno Barry, Yéremy Pino and Álex Baena in the summer, and that was reinvested across the pitch with more than €100m spent on fresh additions. Santiago Mouriño, Alberto Moleiro and Rafa Marín have been among the most impressive of their new signings.

However, Villarreal’s outstanding league campaign has been in contrast to a dreadful record in other competitions. They’ve picked up just one point from six Champions League outings, while Marcelino’s side were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Segunda División leaders Racing Santander in midweek.

Punters will need to weigh up which version of Villarreal is more likely to show up on Sunday, but it’s normally relatively easy to know what to expect from Barcelona.

Hansi Flick’s side continue to look to play attacking, high-risk football that is usually a good watch, although there are moments in virtually every game where it leaves them badly exposed at the back.

In recent matches, the German has sought to tighten things up defensively by deploying Eric García in midfield. The 24-year-old has been one of the success stories of this campaign. He’s currently one of the first names on the teamsheet, which marks an incredible reversal in the fortunes of García, who was loaned out to Girona in the 2023/24 season, and was previously seen by many as not up to the standards required at Camp Nou.

Flick made another significant shift last weekend, by deploying Raphinha in the number 10 role. The Brazilian scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Osasuna, as Barça recorded a seventh straight league victory, with Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres also in the starting lineup.

They were also in action in the Copa del Rey in midweek. The Catalans left it late to find a breakthrough against third-tier Guadalajara, but ultimately won the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Rashford and Andreas Christensen.

Team News

Villarreal have a deep squad, and it’s a good job because they have nine confirmed absentees for this match. Mouriño, Logan Costa, Willy Kambwala, Juan Foyth, Thomas Partey, Sergi Cardona, and Pau Cabanes are all out injured. Meanwhile, Ilias Akhomach and Pape Gueye are on AFCON duty.

Gerard Moreno is an additional fitness concern, but Marcelino still has plenty of good attacking options. Ayoze Pérez, Tani Oluwaseyi, Nicolas Pépé and Georges Mikautadze are expected to compete for the forward roles.

As for Barcelona, they’ve got a fresh injury concern over key midfielder Pedri. If the Spain international doesn’t recover, Frenkie de Jong is likely to earn a recall in the centre of the park.

Dani Olmo, Gavi and Ronald Araújo are also sidelined. Raphinha and Yamal both look certain picks in the final third, with Robert Lewandowski, Ferran, Rashford, and Fermín López competing for the other advanced roles.

Villarreal vs Barcelona Odds

Barcelona are the 4/5 favourites to end 2025 on a positive note with an away win against top-four opponents. You can back Villarreal to make a real statement by winning the game at 5/2, while the Draw is priced at 7/2.

The expectation is certainly that it will produce plenty of action in the final third. Over 3.5 goals is priced at 8/11, while you can back Barcelona to score over 2.5 goals at 5/4. The visitors are available at 9/10 to score in both halves.

Villarreal are on offer at 10/11 to score over 1.5 goals in the game. You can back the hosts to win either half at 19/20, while Both teams to score in the first half is on offer at 13/8.

Bet 1 - Barcelona to win & Both teams to score @ 6/4

Villarreal’s season can be interpreted in different ways, but their poor Champions League record suggests they are still lacking a bit of quality when they face the stronger teams. They’ve also already been beaten by two-goal margins by Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, with those the only matches they have lost in La Liga.

Their many selection issues also suggest this is a game that is likely to go the way of the visitors. However, we should still see the hosts get on the scoresheet at least once against a Barça defence that has conceded 1.88 goals per 90 minutes on their travels in the Spanish top flight this term.

Given that, backing Barcelona to win and Both teams to score at 6/4 looks to offer value.

Fresh from a brace last weekend, Raphinha is priced at 9/2 to score first, while he’s on offer at 23/20 to score anytime. Yamal is available at 23/20 to get on the scoresheet, while you can back the teenager to assist a goal at 9/5.

From a home perspective, Ayoze is on offer at 11/2 to score first, while he’s priced at 7/5 to score anytime. Moleiro has scored four in his last five league appearances, and the winger is available at 15/8 as an anytime goalscorer bet.

Villarreal vs Barcelona - Match Result & Both Teams to Score

FC Barcelona & Yes

6/4

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

Bet 2 - Raphinha 3+ shots & Barcelona to score over 1.5 goals @ 13/10

Operating in a new central role, Raphinha had seven attempts against Osasuna on the previous matchday. That was even more than Yamal, and the Brazilian now ranks in the top five in La Liga with his average of 3.1 shots per game.

There’s a good chance he’ll be used in the same position in this match, and that may contribute to him having more shooting opportunities than he would out wide. The ex-Leeds star was fully rested in midweek, so he should be fresh to put in another big performance at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

Given that, I’m using the Bet Builder to back Raphinha to have 3+ shots and Barcelona to score over 1.5 goals at 13/10.

2 Up Early Payout

Pre-Match Football bets on the 2 Up Early Payout market in selected games. Paid as a winner within 5 minutes if your team goes 2 goals ahead. Selected leagues only. 90 mins only. T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

Mark Sochon P/L 25/26 Season:

Points Staked: 107
Points Returned: 108.13
P/L: +1.13

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...