Villarreal manager congratulates Barcelona and labels them ‘deserved‘ La Liga champions | OneFootball

The streets of Barcelona were buzzing last night as fans, players, and Hansi Flick celebrated a sensational season with an open-bus parade. However, party atmosphere must now give way to preparation as Barcelona are back in action on Sunday as they host Villarreal at the Montjuic Stadium.

Barcelona do not have much left to play for this season, but the same cannot be said about Villarreal.

Marcelino and his team are fighting to secure Champions League football for the upcoming season, and getting points against Barcelona would go a long way in helping them do that. They will be hoping to take advantage of the champions’ post-title hangover.

Villarreal have a lot left to play for

It was an absolute party in Barcelona last night. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Ahead of the game, the Villarreal manager was asked about the game against Barcelona, and as quoted by AS, he congratulated the Catalan club for the league title but admitted that the aim was to beat them on Sunday to solidify their ambitions. He said:

“First of all, congratulations to Barça for the title, for their season, and for their style of play, because I think they’ve brought a lot of enjoyment with their footballing approach, and I believe they are very well-deserved champions. On behalf of myself and the coaching staff, I’d like to congratulate them.”

“From there, knowing how difficult it is given Barcelona’s strength both at home and away, we’re going to try to go there and get points. We go with that hope, as we are very close to a great reward. Getting points in Barcelona could secure it for us; it’s difficult, but we have to try. We’re in good form, and when you feel good, you believe you’re capable of beating anyone, including Barça.”

Villarreal are coming to the Montjuic with so much to play, and there is no doubt that they would be driven to get at least a point against Hansi Flick’s men. That is a feat only Real Betis and Getafe have managed to pull off since January 2025.

Hansi Flick will not allow a drop-off

Hansi Flick will have to ensure his team doesn’t slack off. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Hansi Flick, for his part, will not allow his team to slack and will want them to play a game that is worthy of the Champions tag. However, the German coach could choose to rotate his starting XI a bit to give some fringe players a chance.

It is often easy to drop the intensity in games like these when the title is already a foregone conclusion. The very important desire of wanting it more than your opponent can take a hit, and Barcelona need to be careful not to let that happen.

Sunday may not change Barca’s fate in the table, but how they respond to this challenge will say a lot about their mentality heading into next season. A few last hurdles before the curtain falls, and both sides will want to finish on a high.