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Granada logo
La Liga
Feb 28, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Barcelona logo

1-3

Rico (53' pen.)
FT(HT: 0-1)
Rakitic (25'), Suarez (48'), Messi (70')

Preview: Granada vs. Barcelona

Sports Mole previews Saturday's La Liga clash between Granada and Barcelona.

Barcelona must turn their attention to their domestic form this weekend just a few days after taking a big step towards securing a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

A trip to Granada awaits Luis Enrique's side, who returned to form with an impressive performance in the meeting with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Luis Suarez's brace handed Barcelona a 2-1 victory in the first leg of their last-16 tie, but it could have been even better had Lionel Messi managed to beat Joe Hart with his stoppage-time penalty.

However, the result would have surely come as a relief to Enrique after his side's shock 1-0 loss to Malaga at Camp Nou last Saturday.

That defeat ended a run of 11 successive victories in all competitions, and it also allowed Real Madrid to extend their advantage to four points at the top of the table.

Enrique will be fully aware that another slip-up could hand the title to Real, and another winning run is crucial ahead of next month's second El Clasico of the season.

Changes are likely after the trip to Manchester in midweek, with Xavi and Jeremy Mathieu both pushing for recalls, while Claudio Bravo is set to replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal.

An upset seems unlikely, but Granada would take huge confidence from a positive result as they continue their battle to avoid relegation.

Abel Resino's side are currently 19th, four points from safety, and they have only managed to record one win from 14 games in all competitions since the start of December.

Granada's season took another disappointing turn last weekend as Levante scored twice late on to secure victory in a vital game between two of the league's struggling sides.

Red cards to both Adrian Colunga and Youssef El Arabi mean that they will both miss the visit of Barcelona, and Resino will be forced into an attacking reshuffle as a result.

Granada:

Recent form: LDWLDL

Possible starting lineup: Olazabal, Nyom, Mainz, Babin, Foulquier, Marquez, Bangoura, Iturra, Carlos, El Riki, Isaac

Barcelona:

Form in La Liga: WWWWWL
Form in all competitions: WWWWLW

Possible starting lineup: Bravo; Alves, Mathieu, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi; Neymar, Messi, Suarez

Sports Mole says: 0-3


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Barcelona's coach Luis Enrique celebrates after a goal during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Club Atletico de Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on January 11, 2015
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Real Madrid1283125111427
3Atletico MadridAtletico137511971226
4Villarreal127322319424
5Osasuna136341720-321
6Athletic Bilbao135531913620
7Real BetisBetis135531412220
8Real Sociedad135351110118
9Mallorca135351010018
10GironaGirona135351617-118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15AlavesAlaves134181422-813
16Las PalmasLas Palmas133371622-612
17Getafe13175811-310
18Espanyol123181122-1110
19Real ValladolidValladolid132381025-159
20Valencia11146817-97


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