Barcelona - Villarreal: Flick’s 100th match as leaders aim to stretch the gap
The barcelona - villarreal clash arrives at Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, Feb. 28, with kickoff set for 10: 15 a. m. ET; Barcelona lead LaLiga with 61 points while Villarreal sit 10 units less, and a victory would widen the margin over Real Madrid as the title race tightens.
Barcelona - Villarreal at Spotify Camp Nou
Hansi Flick will step onto the touchline for his 100th match in charge of Barcelona, a run that runs 74 wins, 9 draws and 16 losses across all competitions. The milestone comes with immediate stakes: Barcelona must protect the top spot in LaLiga while juggling a Champions League last-16 tie against Newcastle and a Copa del Rey semifinal in which they must overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Atlético de Madrid.
Lineups and absences
Projected selections mix youth and experience. Barcelona’s group listed for the match includes Joan García, Balde, Koundé, Cubarsí, Ferran, Olmo, Eric García, Bernal, Fermín; Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. For the barcelona - villarreal meeting, Flick has left Pedri out of the starting eleven as a precaution; Marc Bernal is set to operate in midfield while Ferran Torres starts ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong is unavailable through injury. Villarreal line up in a 4-4-2 with Luiz Junior in goal, Santiago Mouriño, Pau Navarro and Renato Veiga across the back, Sergi Cardona on the flank, Nicolas Pépé and Santi Comesaña in midfield alongside Pape Gueye and Alberto Moleiro, with Ayoze Pérez and Georges Mikautadze leading the attack.
Officials, form and recent meetings
The match will be overseen by referee Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos, with Mario Melero López handling VAR duties. Barcelona arrive with a perfect home record this season, having won all 12 of their matches at the Camp Nou and amassing 36 points on home soil, while the two sides met earlier this campaign at La Cerámica, where Barcelona won 0-2.
Villarreal occupy third place in the table in what is described as one of their best seasons, and they have taken points from recent visits: the 'groguets' won the previous trip to Camp Nou this season and have been competitive away from home in recent fixtures.
After the match at the Camp Nou, Barcelona’s immediate calendar points to the Copa del Rey semifinal against Atlético de Madrid — a tie in which they must overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit — and the Champions League round of 16 against Newcastle, which the club already knows is their next opponent.
