The Yellow Sunmarine resurfaces at the Camp Nou after a year in the second division
2013 marks the fifteenth year of games between Barça and Villarreal at the Camp Nou. These meetings have produced plenty of talking points and here we pick out some of the most interesting:
- Villarreal’s most unexpected win at the Camp Nou came in the 1998/99 season. They had only just been promoted and nobody expected them to win 3-.1. The crowd vented their anger against manager Louis van Gaal.
- In 2004/05, Barça won their first league championship for six years, confirming the title in a 3-3 draw with Villarreal.
- Ronaldinho scored one of his most spectacular goals for Barça against Villarreal, an overhead kick in the 4-0 win in 2006.
- Villarreal forced Barça to keep the champagne on ice in 2009 when a last minute goal from Joseba Llorente prevented them from clinching the title. Nevertheless, they beat Real Madrid a week later to mathematically secure top spot.
- Villarreal, thanks to a 1-1 draw, were the only team to take any points from the Camp Nou in the season.
- Giovani dos Santos is Villarreal’s highest goalscorer against Barça with 6 goals. He was once part of the FCB academy and played in the first team in the 2007/08 season.
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- The side managed by Marcelino García Toral has the third best defensive record in La Liga this term only bettered by FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.