Barcelona midfielder Pedri has voiced support for head coach Hansi Flick's high defensive line, while also praising the value he's added at the club.
Barcelona have been dealt a major defensive setback after defender Andreas Christensen suffered a serious knee injury that could keep him out for several months.
Marcelino Garcia Toral has said Villarreal were punished by key refereeing decisions as their six-match winning run in La Liga ended with a 2-0 home defeat against Barcelona at La Ceramica on Sunday.
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.
Real Madrid made the most of their man advantage to claim a comfortable 2-0 win over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu in LaLiga on Saturday.