Barcelona, after winning the Copa del Rey, are fully focused on winning La Liga and earning the double in Ronald Koeman’s first season in charge of the Blaugrana. They face Villarreal this afternoon at La Ceramica, a game which is a great chance to put pressure on Atletico Madrid before they face Athletic Bilbao this evening.
¡El once inicial amarillo en el #VillarrealBarça 💪! pic.twitter.com/PQU8gEkzdF
— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) April 25, 2021
It promises to be a tough game. Villarreal, in Gerard Moreno, have one of the most in-form forwards in European football, and his history with Espanyol means he doesn’t hold the Blaugrana in very high esteem. His match-up with Gerard Pique is set to be a key battle in the game. Villarreal face Arsenal in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final this coming Thursday, but coach Unai Emery has made clear their focus is on Barcelona.
Barça XI#VillarrealBarça
💪🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/ayrdGuAuN1— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 25, 2021
Koeman started Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal, behind a back three of Oscar Mingueza, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet. Serginho Dest and Jordi Alba will operate as flying wing-backs, with the midfield three consisting of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri. Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann will look to do damage in the final third.
