In midweek, FC Barcelona got back to winning ways after overcoming the tough challenge of triumphing at the Etihad Stadium. Lionel Messi displayed an incredible performance which even his late penalty miss couldn’t quite tarnish. It remains to be seen whether the Catalans will end up regretting not going 3-1 up away to Man City, in that UEFA Champions League Last 16 tie.
In the meantime, the focus has shifted back to domestic football. Before next week’s Copa del Rey semi-final clash against Villarreal, Barcelona must first visit one of La Liga’s bottom sides, Granada. This fixture looks like a perfect platform for the Blaugrana to bounce back from last weekend’s utterly shocking loss to Malaga.
Luis Enrique’s men had been flying very high prior to that rare defeat at the Camp Nou. They will be hoping to temporarily reduce the gap to a single point at the top of the standings. Ahead of Matchday 25, Barca count 56 points, above Atletico Madrid (53) and behind Real Madrid (60).
How likely are they to suffer an upset this Saturday? It must be recalled that in the corresponding fixture, last year, the hosts surprisingly came out on top.
An early goal by Yacine Brahimi forced visitors Barcelona to go home with a 1-0 loss in their bag. Messi even picked up an unusual yellow card to join Neymar and Sergio Busquets in the referee’s book. It was a day to forget for the Catalans who ended up losing out on the 2013/14 Spanish League title to Atletico.
However, if Granada are to emulate such a feat this time round, they must avoid all the mistakes that saw them concede six goals at the Camp Nou back in September 2014. Facts remain as follows:
- Barcelona (18) have claimed as many as six times more wins than Granada (3).
- Granada (10) have drawn five times more than Barcelona (2) and five of their last six home games have ended in draws.
- Granada have scored only 15 goals this season whereas Barcelona have conceded only 14.
- Granada have lost six of their last seven matches against the Catalans in all competitions.
Granada vs Barcelona team sheets
Granada's lineup: Oier, Nyom, Fran Rico, Babin, Javi Márquez, Lass, Iturra, Córdoba, Cala, Ibañez, Foulquier.
Barcelona's lineup: Bravo,Rakitic, Xavi, Suárez, Messi, Neymar, Mascherano, Bartra, Alba, Alves, Mathieu.
Granada's subs: Roberto, Martins, Candeias, Rubén Pérez, Rochina, Murillo y Success.
Barcelona's subs: Ter Stegen, Montoya, Sergio, Pedro, Iniesta, Rafinha, Adriano.
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