Villarreal begin to dream of title pursuit ahead of Barcelona visit

MADRID, Dec 18 : Villarreal will host Barcelona on Sunday with their dreams of a first-ever Spanish top-flight title looking increasingly plausible, as the Valencian side look to add spice to an unpredictable LaLiga title race.

Manager Marcelino Garcia Toral has transformed Villarreal into genuine contenders, leading them to third place following six consecutive league wins.

With 35 points but crucially two games in hand over both Real Madrid (39 points) and league leaders Barcelona (43), the Yellow Submarine could soon find themselves swimming in uncharted waters.

The mathematics are tantalising for Villarreal fans. Win their two games in hand, and they would leapfrog Real Madrid. Add a victory over Barcelona on Sunday, and they would sit one point clear at the summit.

Marcelino's men have turned their La Ceramica stadium into a fortress, conceding a miserly four goals in eight home matches while remaining unbeaten and winning all but one of those league encounters.

However, their domestic bliss provides welcome relief from struggles elsewhere. Villarreal's Champions League campaign has been a nightmare, collecting just one point from six matches.

Adding insult to injury, they suffered a shock 2-1 Copa del Rey defeat to second-tier Racing de Santander on Wednesday.

The Sunday showdown was originally earmarked for Miami until LaLiga's international expansion plans collapsed under heavy criticism, forcing the cancellation of what would have been the first European league match played abroad.

TIMELY BOOST

Marcelino received a timely boost as veterans Gerard Moreno and Dani Parejo returned to training on Tuesday and should be available to face Barcelona.

With young midfield duo Alberto Moleiro and Canadian Tajon Buchanan in fine