Barcelona will be aiming to bounce back from their Champions League defeat to Monaco when they resume their La Liga campaign away to Villarreal on Sunday night.
The Catalan team were beaten 2-1 by Monaco in their Champions League opener on Thursday, but an excellent start to their domestic season has seen them post five wins from five matches.
Hansi Flick's side are top of the table, four points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid, while an impressive start for Villarreal has left the Yellow Submarine in fourth spot.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides ahead of their contest this weekend.
© Imago
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 54
Villarreal wins: 11
Draws: 10
Barcelona wins: 33
Barcelona have tackled Villarreal on 54 occasions throughout history, and they comfortably lead the head-to-head record, posting 33 wins to Villarreal's 11, while there have also been 10 draws.
Lionel Messi is the all-time leading goalscorer in this fixture, having found the back of the net on 16 occasions against Villarreal during his time at Barcelona, while Neymar is second on nine.
Diego Forlan, who famously had a spell at Manchester United, is actually Villarreal's leading goalscorer against Barcelona, having netted five times against the Catalan outfit during his career.
In La Liga, there have been 48 meetings, with Barcelona's winning 29 times to Villarreal's 10, while the points have been shared on nine occasions in Spain's top flight.
© Imago
The last meeting between the two sides ended in a Villarreal win, though, with the Yellow Submarine incredibly recording a 5-3 victory in Barcelona's home fixture in January 2024.
Villarreal's last two wins over Barcelona have come away from home, and they have not actually managed to beat the Catalan side in front of their own supporters since October 2007.
Nine of the last 11 La Liga meetings between the two sides have ended in Barcelona wins, but Villarreal did manage to record three straight victories over the Catalan team between April 2007 and March 2008.
In the corresponding game last season, Barcelona were 4-3 winners, with Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski on the scoresheet in the seven-goal thriller.
Last 20 meetings
Jan 27, 2024: Barcelona 3-5 Villarreal (La Liga)
Aug 27, 2023: Villarreal 3-4 Barcelona (La Liga)
Feb 12, 2023: Villarreal 0-1 Barcelona (La Liga)
Oct 20, 2022: Barcelona 3-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
May 22, 2022: Barcelona 0-2 Villarreal (La Liga)
Nov 27, 2021: Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona (La Liga)
Apr 25, 2021: Villarreal 1-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
Sep 27, 2020: Barcelona 4-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
Jul 05, 2020: Villarreal 1-4 Barcelona (La Liga)
Sep 24, 2019: Barcelona 2-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Apr 02, 2019: Villarreal 4-4 Barcelona (La Liga)
Dec 02, 2018: Barcelona 2-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
May 09, 2018: Barcelona 5-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Dec 10, 2017: Villarreal 0-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
May 06, 2017: Barcelona 4-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
Jan 08, 2017: Villarreal 1-1 Barcelona (La Liga)
Mar 20, 2016: Villarreal 2-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
Nov 08, 2015: Barcelona 3-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
Mar 04, 2015: Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona (Copa del Rey Semi-Finals)
Feb 11, 2015: Barcelona 3-1 Villarreal (Copa del Rey Semi-Finals)
Last 10 La Liga meetings
Jan 27, 2024: Barcelona 3-5 Villarreal (La Liga)
Aug 27, 2023: Villarreal 3-4 Barcelona (La Liga)
Feb 12, 2023: Villarreal 0-1 Barcelona (La Liga)
Oct 20, 2022: Barcelona 3-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
May 22, 2022: Barcelona 0-2 Villarreal (La Liga)
Nov 27, 2021: Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona (La Liga)
Apr 25, 2021: Villarreal 1-2 Barcelona (La Liga)
Sep 27, 2020: Barcelona 4-0 Villarreal (La Liga)
Jul 05, 2020: Villarreal 1-4 Barcelona (La Liga)
Sep 24, 2019: Barcelona 2-1 Villarreal (La Liga)
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Matt Law
