FC Barcelona will have to soldier on without the services of defender Gerard Martin when they host Villarreal at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Martin will serve a one match ban this weekend, having received his critical fifth yellow card of the season against Levante. Being without Gerard Martin for this match, literally a first versus third clash, is no doubt a bit of a setback, but he’ll return soon enough.
There is some good news on the fitness front though for Barca, as midfielder Gavi is back in training.
Villarreal at FC Barcelona FYIs
Kick: Sat. Feb 28, 4:15pm, Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
La Liga Standing, Form: Villarreal 3rd, 51 pts DWLWW FC Barcelona 1st 61 pts WWWLW
Google Result Probability: Villarreal 11% Draw 14% FC Barcelona 75%
FC Barcelona Team News
However, one should not expect to see Gavi back in action on Saturday, as he’s recovering from a longer-term knee injury. He will obviously be eased along slowly. Andreas Christensen, who has also been dealing with a serious knee injury this season, remains sidelined.
Other than that, everyone else at the Catalan club is good to go. So now let’s take a look at what potential first team could be selected to face the Yellow Submarine.
FC Barcelona Started XI Prediction vs Villarreal
Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Joao Cancelo; Frenkie De Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.