La Liga Preview: Barcelona Looking to Getting Back to Form

Barcelona vs Bilbao

After the spectacular run of form that Barcelona had enjoyed up until last weekend, they have now failed to win in their last two matches. One among them was the midweek defeat against Arsenal and Pep Guardiola will be hoping that his team will quickly get back to the winning ways.

It is of primary importance, given that Real Madrid will be putting incessant pressure on Barcelona after closing the gap to five points. As Madrid plays a day earlier than the Catalans giants, the gap could be reduced to just two points.

In such a case, any dropped points against Athletic Bilbao will prove to be extremely damaging for Barcelona's title hopes. It is certainly not helped by the fact that Athletic Bilbao is now trying to take advantage of Villarreal's slip-up in the La Liga to secure the fourth place in the standings.

Carlos Puyol was sorely missed against Arsenal and he will not be available for Barcelona yet again. David Villa, though, is expected to be fit, despite the knock that he sustained in the Arsenal match. Ustaritz Aldekoaotalora was expected to miss the match for Athletic Bilbao, but he has recovered from his injury and will be starting the match.

Villarreal vs Malaga

After enjoying their position in the top half of the table for most of the season, Villarreal are now finding a scenario in which they are slipping behind the rivals. They have not won in their last three matches in the La Liga, and Juan Carlos Garrido will be looking to get back on into the race for the third position.

Valencia will certainly be the favourites for it, but Villarreal could certainly put back the pressure on them by winning against Malaga. The match against Malaga will probably represent the best opportunity for Villarreal after they are struggling for any kind of form.

The team has not won in any of their last six matches and now find themselves at the foot of the table. This situation does really look very bleak for Manuel Pellegrini's men. Pellegrini will be coming back to the Stadium where he was once regarded as the hero and had been the coach of Villarreal for five years until 2009. Julia Baptista will be missing for Malaga and this will certainly be a big blow for Pellegrini. They have taken points in their last two matches and this could be a source of confidence for Malaga.


Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores