Barcelona maintained their lead over Real Madrid in the LaLiga standings with a hard-fought 2-0 win over a Villarreal side that proved to be a tough nut to crack, despite going down to 10 men for most of the game.
Barcelona defender Jules Kounde has put rumours about missing the Spanish Super Cup to rest after limping off late in his team's 2-0 La Liga win over Villarreal on Sunday night.
Villarreal head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral has hinted that several key players will miss Sunday’s crucial La Liga clash with Barcelona at La Ceramica through injury and international duty.
Real Madrid and Girona both played their part in a dramatic La Liga weekend that also saw Villarreal surge, Betis silence Sevilla and Espanyol snatch a late winner.
Borussia Dortmund will be eager to move on from their heavy Champions League defeat to Manchester City when they host Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday.
In UEFA Champions League action, Barcelona survived a 3-3 thriller against Club Brugge, Pafos stunned Villarreal 1-0, and Newcastle powered past Athletic Club 2-0 at St James' Park.