Barcelona play host to Villarreal on Sunday looking to keep pace with current leaders Real Madrid, who head the La Liga standings on goal difference.

Villarreal travel to Camp Nou having won just one of their last four league fixtures, but coach Marcelino Garcia Toral will be aware that a positive result this weekend can take them to within a point of the Catalan giants.

Barcelona

Two defeats in the space of three La Liga games appeared to dent Barcelona's hopes of topping the table heading into the winter months, but three successive victories have resulted in Luis Enrique's men joining Real in a scrap for first place.

Barcelona remain in second position on goal difference, but 10 goals in their last three outings, all of which have been scored by Neymar or Luis Suarez, have boosted the club in the absence of Lionel Messi.

There have been suggestions that Neymar may look to leave Camp Nou in the near future, but his recent goal return has suggested that he is fully committed to helping the club retain both their La Liga and Champions League titles.

There will be minor concerns regarding several slow starts made by Barca, with three of their last six league games featuring goals being conceded inside the opening half-hour, but a clean sheet against Getafe last weekend should go some way to restoring confidence at the back.

Ahead of what should be a competitive encounter with Villarreal, Enrique would have been relieved to have enjoyed a comfortable 90 minutes in the Champions League in midweek, but the club's head coach will know that his team need to stamp their authority on the game during the early stages.

Sunday's opponents pushed the Blaugrana all the way in two games at Camp Nou last season, and on another day, could have dented Barca's ambitions in both the league and the Copa del Rey.

Recent form: LWLWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDWW

Villarreal

From the start of the season until the end of September, Villarreal were the dominant team in Spanish football, but during the past five weeks, they have slipped off the pace and allowed both Barcelona and Real Madrid to move ahead.

There remains just a four-point gap between the clubs, but the Yellow Submarine could see their faint title hopes vanish should they lose this weekend, despite 27 games still remaining come full time on Sunday.

Back-to-back defeats to Levante and Celta Vigo hurt Garcia Toral and his squad, but they deserve praise for getting back on the winning trail with last weekend's 2-1 success against Sevilla, a win that made it four triumphs from five at Estadio El Madrigal.

They are also making light work of their group in the Europa League, earning nine points from four outings, but the difference between competing for the league title and scrapping for a European spot usually depends on fixtures such as the one on Sunday, and Garcia Toral will be demanding that his players make the step up.

Claiming a result at Camp Nou is likely to require a better performance in the final third on their travels, with just five goals being recorded so far, but there will be hope that Roberto Soldado can follow Cedric Bakambu in breaking his scoring duck in the league.

Recent form: WWLLDW
Recent form (all competitions): LLWDWW

Team News

Barcelona will again be without Javier Mascherano, who sits out the match through suspension, while Messi continues his recovery as he targets a return for El Clasico.

Ivan Rakitic is also missing after being substituted during the early stages of Barca's Champions League fixture in midweek.

Villarreal defender Eric Bertrand Bailly is absent as he serves a ban, so Daniele Bonera could come into the team in his place.

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Soldado should feature in attack as he looks to end his seven-match spell without a goal in La Liga.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Alves, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba; Busquets, Roberto, Iniesta; Munir, Suarez, Neymar

Villarreal possible starting lineup:
Areola, Mario Gaspar, Costa, Ruiz, Bonera, Bruno, Dos Santos, Denis Suarez, Trigueros, Soldado, Bakambu

Head To Head

In the 34 previous meetings between the two sides, Barcelona have emerged victorious on 19 occasions, with Villarreal claiming eight wins.

Barcelona have dominated the recent matches, however, with the Catalan giants registering success in their last six games.

The most recent match took place in March, with Barcelona running out 3-1 victors in the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie.

We say: Barcelona 3-1 Villarreal

Villarreal have the quality required to cause a surprise this weekend, but with Neymar and Suarez both in excellent form, it is hard to look past Barcelona, who will be keen to put some distance between themselves and the Yellow Submarine.