2023-24 Spanish La Liga Villarreal vs. Barcelona odds, picks, predictions: Best bets for Sunday's matchup from proven soccer expert

League champion Barcelona are trying to stay unbeaten when they visit Villarreal for a Spanish La Liga match on Sunday. Barca (1-1-0) started slowly with a 0-0 road draw with Getafe to open the season but bounced back with a 2-0 victory against Cadiz last Sunday. Villarreal (1-0-1) lost 2-1 to Real Betis to open the campaign before beating Mallorca 1-0 in a Friday matchup to start Matchweek 2. Barca won La Liga last season, finishing 10 points clear of Real Madrid, while Villarreal were fifth, 24 points behind.  

Kickoff at El Madrigal is set for an 11:30 a.m. ET. Barcelona are +106 favorites (risk $100 to win $106), with Villarreal priced as +245 underdogs, in the latest Villarreal vs. Barcelona odds. A draw is priced at +255 and the over/under for total goals scored is 2.5. (.)

Before you lock in your Barcelona vs. Villarreal picks or La Liga predictions, you need to see what proven soccer expert Martin Green has to say.

After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Since last year's World Cup, Green has been profitable in multiple areas on his soccer picks, including the Champions League (+4.78 units), the FA Cup (+3.07) and the EFL Cup (+3.64), Euro 2024 qualifiers (+3.01) and Europa League (+1.60).

Green knows Barca have superior depth and one of the world's best strikers. Robert Lewandowski hasn't scored yet, but the Polish star led the league with 23 goals last season. Pedri scored late in the second half against Cadiz, and Ferran Torres got on the board despite playing just six minutes. Barca had as many shots on net as Cadiz had overall (10) and have allowed three on target in the first two matches. They allowed just 20 goals all last season, 13 fewer than any other team.

Green also has taken into account that five of Barcelona's six losses last season came away from Camp Nou, while Villarreal were 12-3-4 at home. The hosts conceded just 18 goals in their 19 matches at El Madrigal. Gerard Moreno scored the winner last week, and he can get a lot of goals when he's healthy. The 30-year-old scored 16 goals over the past two seasons but played in just 38 matches. New signing Alexander Sorloth scored 12 goals with Real Sociedad in 2022-23.

Green has taken an in-depth look at the Villarreal vs. Barcelona matchup, and he is leaning Under on the goal total. He has locked in two other best bets, both plus-money plays, and has a full breakdown of this La Liga matchup. You need to see his picks and analysis before making any selections of your own.