Barcelona vs Villarreal
Reigning La Liga champions Barcelona were dealt a huge shock as they fell 2-0 to newly promoted — and table-topping — Granada over the weekend.
The loss — Barca’s second of the season — sees the Catalans down in seventh with just seven points in their first five matches, which is their worst start in La Liga for 25 years.
However, the La Liga 2019 betting odds will be heavily in their favour against Villarreal, a team they have historically dominated, especially at the Camp Nou.
Talking Points
Barca’s horrific start
Barcelona’s disastrous start to the season continued as they went down to Granada. It was a putrid performance from the Catalans, who conceded within two minutes and had just one shot on target all match despite controlling 74 per cent of possession.
That loss came on the heels of their 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, a match where the Spanish champions were clearly second-best and were lucky not to lose.
Lionel Messi, who finally made his season debut against Dortmund, once again didn’t start against Granada and only came on at half-time. The Argentine still doesn’t seem close to full strength following his calf injury and was unable to produce the much-needed breakthrough.
But while Barca have looked far from their best this season, it should be noted that their poor performances have all come away from home. They remain as formidable as ever at the Camp Nou, winning their first two matches against Valencia and Betis, 5-2.
Dating back to last season, Barcelona have won their last nine home league matches in a row and 17 out of their last 21 (three draws and one defeat).
With Messi slowly but surely gaining match fitness and the rest of the squad playing so much better at home, Barca should fancy their chances of increasing that winning run at Camp Nou.
Villarreal banging in the goals
Villarreal’s La Liga 2019 results to start the season weren’t too impressive. They gave up a two-goal lead at home to draw 4-4 against Granada. They then lost 2-1 to Levante after giving up two penalties in the space of five minutes. And they once again failed to hold a lead at home, this time in their 2-2 draw against Real Madrid.
However, they are finally headed in the right direction after winning their last two matches: a 3-0 away win at Leganes and a 2-0 home victory against Real Valladolid.
Villarreal are right there alongside Barcelona as the top scorers in La Liga thus far, scoring 12 goals through their first five matches. Gerard Moreno is currently leading the league with five goals. He had scored in each of the team’s first four league matches before failing to find the net against Valladolid.
Midfielder Moi Gomez, who returned to Villarreal this summer after departing in 2016, has also made a strong start with two goals and an assist.
Villarreal are just loaded with attacking talent. Aside from Moreno, Gomez, and Santi Cazorla, they also have the likes of Samuel Chukwueze, Javier Ontiveros, and Karl Toko Ekambi to call upon off the bench. Chukwueze and Ekambi both scored last season against Barca.
History
The last meeting between Villarreal and Barcelona was an absolute classic. After Barca went up 2-0 inside of 16 minutes, Villarreal roared back to score four unanswered goals. But they couldn’t hold on as Barca grabbed two late goals to salvage a point in a thrilling 4-4 draw at El Madrigal.
However, Villarreal have had no success whatsoever in their recent visits to the Camp Nou. Barcelona have won each of the last nine home matches against Villarreal, scoring at least two goals in all nine of those matches.
Villarreal’s last win at the Camp Nou came all the way back in 2008. In fact, that’s also Villarreal’s last win over Barca in all competitions, with the Catalans going a remarkable 22 matches unbeaten against the Yellow Submarine (16 wins, six draws).
Betting Tip
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Barcelona vs Villarreal | Barcelona Asian Handicap -1.50 @ 1.82 |
| September 25, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
With a track record that dominant, it’s no wonder SBOBET odds have Barcelona as 1.31 favourites on the 1X2 market, while Villarreal are priced at 9.25.
Despite Villarreal’s dangerous attacking weapons, a Barcelona win looks in the cards. But if you are betting on Barca, the value is more on their Asian Handicap odds.
They’ve beaten Villarreal by two or more goals in five straight meetings at the Camp Nou, and with the form they’ve shown at home thus far this season — 10 goals in two matches — there’s no reason to think they won’t win comfortably again.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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