Barcelona vs Granada – La Liga – Preview

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Sreya

Barcelona will host Granada at El Camp Nou on 9th January, Saturday as Luis Enrique’s men aim to climb to the summit of the La Liga. Barcelona, with thirty nine points after seventeen matches are two points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid who have played a game more.

With Atletico not playing until Sunday, Barcelona will move to the first spot should they win against Granada. The visitors currently sit in the seventeenth position, two points above relegation zone, courtesy their surprise 2-1 win over Sevilla in their previous fixture which took their points tally to seventeen.

Team News

Luis Enrique will be without Rafinha, who ruptured his cruciate ligament in September and will return only in March. Although Sergi Roberto is expected to return to training from his thigh strain on Saturday, a decision on whether the midfielder will be risked for this fixture will be taken just before the game. Yrondu Musavo-King (hamstring injury) is the only absentee for the visitors due to an injury.

Barcelona Possible Starting Lineup: Cluadio Bravo, Aleix Vidal, Gerard Pique, Thomas Vermaelen, Jordi Alba, Ivan Rakitic, Sergi Roberto, Arda Turan, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar.

Granada Possible Starting Lineup: Andres Fernandez, Edgar Mendez, Uche, Lomban, Doria, Cristiano Biraghi, Rene Krhin, Ruben Rochina, Ruben Perez, Success, Adalberto Penaranda.

Contributor’s Pick

Both sides are coming off a midweek Copa Del Rey engagement, which implies fatigue could be a factor during this La Liga fixture. With Granada losing by a 4-0 margin to Valencia, the visitors would be eager to prove their mettle which could result in an intriguing encounter.

According to Head-2-Head statistics, Barcelona have won about 88% of its matches against Granada. Granada have conceded the second most number of goals (32) among all La Liga sides while Barcelona are second in the most number of goals scored (40) behind Real Madrid, so it is expected to be a high scoring affair.

Barcelona have won eight of their last nine home matches in La Liga and have kept a clean sheet in six of their previous eight league fixtures. The previous six meetings between these two sides have resulted in five wins for Barcelona, with the defending champions scoring a combined total of nine goals and conceding only once against the Andalusians last season.

“Granada need points, and that makes them more dangerous. They’re physically strong and they work hard. They are on the upswing after a positive result against Sevilla, with the need for points, with good football players and good players on attack that can create problems in the transition game.”

– Luis Enrique, Barcelona.