Balde, Pedri start in a 4-2-3-1 – How Barcelona can line up against Villarreal

Barcelona return to La Liga action this evening at Spotify Camp Nou with a golden opportunity to stretch their lead at the summit, and Hansi Flick is expected to spring a handful of changes in a 4-2-3-1 designed to subdue high-flying Villarreal.

The Catalans edged back into first place after a commanding 3-0 defeat of Levante last weekend, while Real Madrid’s slip against Osasuna leaves the reigning champions one point clear and potentially four ahead if they prevail before Madrid travel to Getafe on Monday.

Standing in their way is a Villarreal side that has captured three victories from its last four league fixtures and sits third in the table, only six points behind Barça. The December reverse fixture still lingers in local memory: a 2-0 Barcelona win after Villarreal were reduced to ten men inside the opening 45 minutes. Flick, overseeing his 100th match as Barça boss, will hope for a similarly decisive outcome.

Selection headaches persist in midfield. Frenkie de Jong’s hamstring strain, suffered in training, sidelines him for at least five weeks, while Gavi continues his gradual reintegration and Andreas Christensen remains unavailable. The void left by De Jong is set to be filled by Pedri, who marked his own return from injury with a cameo against Levante and now eyes a first start in weeks. Beside him, 17-year-old academy graduate Marc Bernal has swiftly become indispensable; the teenager, who scored his second senior goal at the weekend, will anchor the double pivot.

Further forward, Fermín López is poised to start as the central No. 10, with Dani Olmo primed to provide second-half impetus. Up front, Ferran Torres is tipped to replace Robert Lewandowski after the Polish striker endured a quiet outing last time out. Width will again be supplied by Lamine Yamal on the right and Raphinha on the left, a duo Flick has kept intact during the recent winning run.

Defensive tweaks are also anticipated. Joan García has cemented his place between the posts during an impressive debut campaign, and Jules Koundé will continue at right-back—though one more caution would trigger a suspension. On the opposite flank, Alejandro Balde is set for recall after two matches on the bench, ousting João Cancelo despite the Portuguese’s solid display against Levante. In central defence, Pau Cubarsi is expected to return alongside Eric García, meaning Ronald Araújo drops to the bench once more.

With summer target Marcus Rashford likely to be introduced late on, Barcelona’s reshaped XI carries both fresh legs and familiar firepower as they seek the three points that would crank up the pressure on their Clásico rivals.

Barcelona predicted XI (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Cubarsi, E. García, Balde; Bernal, Pedri; Yamal, F. López, Raphinha; Torres.