BARCELONA welcome Granada to the Nou Camp for a huge fixture in the La Liga title race.
The Catalan giants are fighting it out with Real Madrid, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid to land the Spanish championship.
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Messi and Co currently sit third but can go top if they win this game in hand over Atletico.
What time does Barcelona vs Granada kick off?
- Kick-off is at 6pm BST tonight.
- When the sides met earlier in the campaign, Messi and Antoine Griezmann got the goals in a 4-0 Barca win.
What TV channel is Barcelona vs Granada on and can I live stream it?
- You can catch this game live on LaLiga TV here in the UK.
- The channel is included in Premier Sports subscriptions and can be found on Sky 435 and Virgin Media 554.
- To stream, head to the Premier Player where you can watch the remainder of the La Liga campaign for £6.99.
What is the team news?
Match odds
- Barca to win – 1/9
- Draw – 15/2
- Granada victory – 16/1
*All odds from Paddy Power and correct at time of publication.
GRANADA SUBSTITUTES
4 Gonalons, 12 Quina, 14 Vico, 18 Marin, 23 Molina, 26 Soro, 31 Fabrega, 35 Costa, 42 Barcia
BARCELONA SUBSTITUTES
2 Dest, 4 Araujo, 8 Pjanic, 11 Dembele, 12 Marti, 13 Neto, 15 Lenglet, 16 Pedri, 17 Trincao, 24 Firpo, 29 De la Fuente, 36 Tenas
GRANADA XI
Granada also go with a three-man defence as they look to secure a shock result.
13 Escandell; 3 Perez, 6 Sanchez, 16 Diaz; 2 Foulquier, 21 Herrera, 8 Eteki, 17 Quini; 7 Charris, 11 Machis; 9 Soldado
BARCELONA XI
Ronald Koeman makes three changes to the side that defeated Villarreal with Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtiti and Ilaix Moriba all coming into his starting XI.
The Dutchman is sticking with the 3-5-2 formation that has reaped rewards of late.
1 Ter Stegen; 28 Mingueza, 3 Pique, 15 Umtiti; 20 Roberto, 21 De Jong, 5 Busquets, 16 Pedri, 18 Alba; 10 Messi, 7 Griezmann
THE TEAMSHEETS ARE IN!
FIRM FAVOURITES
Barca have an outstanding record against Granada, with 17 wins from the 19 matches played.
However, in their most recent meeting – the Copa del Rey in February – Barca needed extra time to triumph 5-3.
Koeman’s side won 4-0 in the league fixture at Granada earlier this season, with Antoine Griezmann and some guy called Lionel Messi both scoring twice.
GOOD AFTERNOON FROM SPAIN
Welcome to our live coverage of the clash between Barcelona and Granada in La Liga.
A win for Barca would see them go top of the table for the first time in a more than a year with five games remaining, edging them closer to a 27th title and reclaiming the crown from bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Ronald Koeman’s side are in a three-way battle for the title with Real and Atletico Madrid. And, with Real and Atletico both dropping points at the weekend, this game offers Barca the chance to take the initiative. A potentially title-deciding game between Barca and Atletico is just a week and a half away.
It would be one of their more unlikely title successes. Koeman’s men picked up just 14 points from their first 10 games to languish 12 points off the pace.
“Perhaps we are now the favourites, but we’re not thinking like that,” said Koeman this week. “The team has learned to take it game by game, it’s the best way.”
As for Granada, they currently sit in an impressive eighth spot and still harbour outside hopes of qualification for next year’s Europa League.
Barca should be able to call on the services of Ousmane Dembele, who began his comeback from injury with a substitute appearance in the hard-fought win at Villarreal at the weekend but will definitely be without Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho. Martin Braithwaite is also still absent through injury.
For Granada, Neyder Lozano, Domingos Duarte, and Luis Milla are out, and there is a doubt over the fitness of Alberto Soro. Midfielders Angel Montoro and Antonio Puertas are both suspended.
We’ll have confirmation of tonight’s teams shortly plus lots more build-up ahead of the 6pm kick-off.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
