Real Madrid’s victory over Espanyol on Saturday slowed them to within one point of Barcelona at the top of La Liga. Hansi Flick’s side will be aiming to re-establish the four-point deficit against Villarreal, and so far, they are on course to do so.
Despite bringing in the inexperienced trio of Sergi Dominguez, Gerard Martin and Pablo Torre to the starting line-up, Barcelona have struck first against the high-flying hosts. It’s Robert Lewandowski with the goal, his fifth of the season.
It’s a wonderful assist from Torre, who slipped the ball perfectly into Lewandowski’s path, and he made no mistake to fire beyond Diego Conde – he is now back out on his own at the top of the scoring charts in La Liga, ahead of Kylian Mbappe.
It’s been a positive start for Barcelona, and now, they are on course to continue their 100% record domestically. However, they must be aware of the inevitable response from Villarreal.