Villarreal begin to dream of title pursuit ahead of Barcelona visit
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MADRID, Dec 18 : Villarreal will host Barcelona on Sunday with their dreams of a first-ever Spanish top-flight title looking increasingly plausible, as the Valencian side look to add spice to an unpredictable LaLiga title race.
Manager Marcelino Garcia Toral has transformed Villarreal into genuine contenders, leading them to third place following six consecutive league wins.
With 35 points but crucially two games in hand over both Real Madrid (39 points) and league leaders Barcelona (43), the Yellow Submarine could soon find themselves swimming in uncharted waters.
The mathematics are tantalising for Villarreal fans. Win their two games in hand, and they would leapfrog Real Madrid. Add a victory over Barcelona on Sunday, and they would sit one point clear at the summit.
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Marcelino's men have turned their La Ceramica stadium into a fortress, conceding a miserly four goals in eight home matches while remaining unbeaten and winning all but one of those league encounters.
However, their domestic bliss provides welcome relief from struggles elsewhere. Villarreal's Champions League campaign has been a nightmare, collecting just one point from six matches.
Adding insult to injury, they suffered a shock 2-1 Copa del Rey defeat to second-tier Racing de Santander on Wednesday.
The Sunday showdown was originally earmarked for Miami until LaLiga's international expansion plans collapsed under heavy criticism, forcing the cancellation of what would have been the first European league match played abroad.
TIMELY BOOST
Marcelino received a timely boost as veterans Gerard Moreno and Dani Parejo returned to training on Tuesday and should be available to face Barcelona.
With young midfield duo Alberto Moleiro and Canadian Tajon Buchanan in fine form, plus Ayoze Perez and Georgian Georges Mikautadze also shining, Villarreal are primed for what would be a statement victory.
Standing in their way are Hansi Flick's Barcelona, who arrive in equally impressive form with six successive wins across all competitions and seven consecutive league victories.
The Catalans have been a scoring machine, netting 49 goals in 17 league games - 15 more than closest challengers Real Madrid. A victory in Sunday's calendar-year finale would provide an extra cushion before a two-week break ahead of the Catalonia derby against Espanyol and their Spanish Super Cup trip to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid face their own pressures when they host struggling Sevilla on Saturday. Manager Xabi Alonso is under mounting pressure due to a dismal run of form, desperately needing a result to lower the heat on him.
Some of the focus at the Santiago Bernabeu will also be on Kylian Mbappe, who sits tantalisingly close to a club record. The French forward has scored 58 goals in all competitions in 2025, just one shy of Cristiano Ronaldo's calendar-year record of 59 goals set in 2013.
With one match remaining this year, Mbappe could surpass the Portuguese great and etch his name into Real Madrid folklore.
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