Villarreal boss Marcelino optimistic ahead of his side’s clash against Barcelona | OneFootball

Villarreal have gotten off to a good start in La Liga this season under the guidance of new manager Marcelino. They find themselves in fourth, just four points off the pace with five games played.

They now face their biggest test yet, as they host Barcelona at La Cerámica on Sunday evening, who despite facing somewhat of an injury crisis, still find themselves top of the pile in La Liga.

Villarreal manager Marcelino is going into the tie optimistic, as per Marca, he said ‘We are playing against the best in the competition at the moment because that is what the results, the game and their points total says. But we are also doing well, and we play in our stadium, which will be full and filled with excitement.‘

He also touched upon the fact that he doesn’t expect Barcelona to be affected by their midweek loss, and dismissed the 10-man loss on Thursday evening as an ‘unexpected situation’.

He was also asked about the fact that Villarreal hasn’t beaten Barcelona at home since 2007 but responded by saying that the longer it has been since something has happened, the more likely it seems that the opposite could happen.

Villarreal host Barcelona on Sunday evening and will be hopeful that they can keep their good form going following last week’s 2-1 win against Mallorca.

GSFN | Ciaran Currie