Villarreal star Pau Torres sends clear message to Barcelona ahead of La Liga clash

Pau Torres has told Barcelona that Villarreal are ‘not afraid’ ahead of Sunday’s clash.

It has been a superb season so far for Barca, who sit atop the La Liga table and eight points clear with 20 games played.

Meanwhile, Villarreal are in sixth and four points off the top four following last weekend’s shock defeat to bottom club Elche.

But even with the differing form, Villarreal are ‘not afraid’ of Barca, or at least not according to centre-back Torres.

“It is a team in a good moment of form, that dominates many phases of the game, they like to have the ball and they are more vertical than in other years,” he said in a press conference.

“If we apply good pressure and enter the game with all five senses, we have a lot to gain. We are not afraid.”

Over the last two years, Villarreal have struggled against teams they ‘should’ beat, while they have performed better against some of the tougher teams in La Liga, and indeed in Europe.

Torres touched on that when he added: “They are having a very good season, they have mastered many facets of the game. We are doing well against teams like Barcelona, who want to have the ball.

“The game will apply good pressure and treating the ball well when we have it. It is more difficult to score a goal against a team that presents a style different from ours in all aspects because they know what we are doing with the ball. Each match is different and it is important to know how to adapt to each situation.”