FC Barcelona (17-2-1) go into this weekend with the opportunity to open up an 11-point advantage at the top of La Liga as they challenge Villarreal (9-4-7) at the Estadio de la Ceramica. Check out our La Liga odds series, featuring our Villarreal-Barcelona prediction and pick.

Xavi's team has been on an incredible run of late, winning all of their last 10 games in all competitions in January. The league leaders in La Liga have just lost once since the World Cup break.

Quique Setien's squad sits eighth in the Spanish table and hopes to secure a spot for a possible European contention. They hold a two-game losing streak and hope to grab their first win in February.

Here are the Villarreal-Barcelona soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

La Liga Odds: Villarreal-Barcelona Odds

Villarreal: +370

Barcelona: -145

Draw: +290

Over 2.5 Goals: -122

Under 2.5 Goals: +100

How to Watch Villarreal vs. Barcelona

TV: ESPN Deportes

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT

*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Villarreal Can Beat Barcelona

Villarreal won four of their five league matches between Nov. 9 and Jan. 22 to place themselves in strong position in the table. Villarreal looked to have turned a corner under Quique Setien but after a string of bad results, he faces some problems especially with the outputs of his football tactics on the pitch. The turn of the calendar gave the Yellow Submarine bad luck as they now lost their last two games against Rayo Vallecano and Elche CF, making themselves the first team to be beaten by the latter in La Liga this term.

Setien's team has been outstanding at home, picking up 19 points from six wins, one draw, and two losses in nine matches, which is the fourth-best record in the Spanish division. History has been unfavorable to the Yellow Submarine: in head-to-head fixtures, Villarreal won only three straight matches against Barcelona between 2007 and 2008 but just won only one of the last 27 matches played between the two squads in La Liga. They are also going up against a strong Barcelona side with the best road record, which has 27 points from 10 matches on their away games.

Villarreal will have to make adjustments in this game, as Alfonso Pedraza, Nicolas Jackson, Giovani Lo Celso, and Filip Jorgensen are out in this match. Pau Torres is expected to be back for the squad, which is a bigger improvement on defense. Raul Albiol, Johan Mojica, and Juan Foyth will join Torres in the backline. Etienne Capoue, Dani Parejo, and Alejandro Baena will be the starting midfielders. Samuel Chukwueze and Yeremy Pino will join Gerard Moreno to helm the attack.

Why Barcelona Can Beat Villarreal

Barcelona's run in the Champions League was a huge letdown, but aside from the European disappointment, Barca looks to continue their good run in the Europa League. Club legend Xavi won his first silverware as Barcelona manager last month, defeating bitter rivals Real Madrid to win the Spanish Super Cup. The Catalan outfit also is hoping to continue their success in the Copa del Rey, picking up wins over CF Intercity, AD Ceuta, and Real Sociedad.

The Blaugrana will face Real Madrid in a two-legged semifinal in the Copa del Rey. After their fixture with Villarreal, they will take on English giants Manchester United over two legs in a Europa League knockout round playoff, with the first match set to occur at Camp Nou next week. Barcelona president Joan Laporta made it clear that his intention is for the squad to capture the La Liga silverware, which is a delightful sight given that they now have 53 points, eight points clear of second-placers Real Madrid in the same number of games (20).

Barcelona will not see Sergio Busquets and Ousmane Dembele on the pitch for this fixture. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha are primed to take forward duties, while Xavi will employ four midfielders in Gavi, Pedri, Franck Kessie, and Frenkie De Jong. Ronald Araujo should again be joined in the middle of the defense by Andreas Christensen, while Jordi Alba and Jules Kounde will take wing-back responsibilities.

Final Villarreal-Barcelona Prediction & Pick

Barcelona's outstanding offense and incredible defense are the key factors to their dominance in this season of La Liga. Villarreal may be lucky to squeak a goal or two, but Marc Andre Ter Stegen's brilliant goal-keeping — conceding just seven goals in this campaign — will be on full display on this match. Villarreal has the home advantage, but Barcelona is just the better team on paper and on the field.

Final Villarreal-Barcelona Prediction & Pick: FC Barcelona (-145), Over 2.5 Goals (-122)