Holders Barcelona will be keen to get back to winning ways in the La Liga, when they welcome Villarreal to Camp Nou on Saturday night.
The Catalans, without injured talisman Lionel Messi, suffered their first league defeat of the season a fortnight ago, when Athletic Bilbao shocked them 1-0, which also followed a defeat to Ajax in the Champions League.
The defeat to Bilbao has allowed title contenders Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid to gain ground on Barca, with the former now behind the champions only by goal difference, and Los Blancos trailing both just by three points.
Gerardo Martino's men did bounce back with a 6-1 thrashing of Celtic in Europe in midweek, with Neymar scoring a hat-trick, and will now looking to carry that momentum forward into the league, as they know they will probably need all three points tonight to maintain their top spot.
Meanwhile, Villarreal are currently fifth in the table and are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions. Marcelino Garcia Toral's side will be hoping to break into the top four, by pulling off a major upset at Camp Nou tonight.
Team News
Barca: Apart from Messi (hamstring), Victor Valdes (calf) is unavailable, while Ibrahim Affelay and Jonathan dos Santos (both knee) remain long-term absentees. Adriano is out through suspension but fellow wing-back Dani Alves could make a first team return tonight, after recovering from a calf injury.
Villareal: Francisco Javier Farinos (Achilles) is out, while Bruno is banned. Meanwhile, Cani (knee) is doubtful after suffering a knock in the Copa del Rey clash with Elche last week.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 12.30 am IST start on Sunday morning, with Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD 2 providing live coverage in India. You can also catch all the action live online by clicking HERE. Viewers in the U.S. can live stream the match HERE.Middle East and North Africa viewers click HERE.
Expected lineups: Barca: Pinto; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Pedro, Alexis, Neymar
Villareal: Asenjo; Mario, Musacchio, Gabriel, J. Costa; Aquino, Bruno, Trigueros, Dos Santos; Pereira, Santa Cruz
Prediction: 2-0 to Barcelona
