Granada vs. Barcelona: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Barcelona will continue their push to retain the La Liga title when they take on Granada at the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes on Saturday.
With Granada fighting to stay in the top flight of Spanish football, the Catalan giants face a tough challenge as they look to overtake league-leaders Atletico Madrid, not playing until Sunday, who are one point ahead of Barcelona in the table.
Gerardo Martino will need to pick his team up after they failed to reach the Champions League last four for the first time since 2007 thanks to a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Atletico.
Read on for a full preview and information on where to catch the action.
When: Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
Where: Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes, Granada
TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go Extra (UK), beIN Sport Play (U.S.)
Barca Must Bounce Back
There can be no hangover from Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League loss if Barcelona have any designs on claiming the title this season.
Andres Iniesta is aware of the importance of bouncing back:
They cannot afford to drop points. Real Madrid, who sit two points behind Barca in third, and Atletico play lowly Almeria and Getafe, respectively, so a loss or draw would likely see Martino's side fall off the pace.
With Atletico to visit the Camp Nou on the final day of the season, it is vital that Barcelona do not allow the current one-point gap to Diego Simeone's side to stretch any further.
Barcelona will still be without centre-back Gerard Pique, who suffered a hip injury in the 1-1 Champions League quarter-final fist leg last week.
While the gulf in class between Granada and Barca is such that the Catalans should very easily win without him, he is a key influence in an area in which Martino's side are short of players.
He is WhoScored.com's joint-highest-ranked defender in La Liga, along with team-mate Dani Alves, and offers a solid presence in the middle of the back four.
That being said, form would suggest this match is a no-brainer, and even in their loss to Atletico, they were dominant in possession:
Barcelona have five league wins in a row, including a 7-0 thrashing of Osasuna, currently just one point behind Granada, and a 4-3 away victory over Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Granada have lost three on the bounce and sit three points off the relegation zone in 15th.
Granada Dicing with Disaster
In the position they are in, Granada could probably do with an easier run in for the end of the season.
While their final two matches are against relegation rivals Almeria and Real Valladolid, three of their next four are against top-six sides Barcelona, Sevilla and Real Sociedad.
The reverse fixture of this game does not offer Granada much comfort as they were thrashed 4-0 at the Camp Nou back in November, per ESPN FC.
Meanwhile, their home record this season is the second worst in the league. Having lost nine and won six from 16 games, only bottom-of-the-table Real Betis have a poorer record on their own turf, per BBC Sport.
Some comfort may be drawn from the fact that Barcelona were downed 1-0 away by Valladolid, who currently sit in 17th, back in March.
However, it is highly likely that Granada will feel the wrath of Barca as they attempt to atone for their midweek ignominy, and only a fool would bet against Messi and Co. getting a convincing win on Saturday.
Granada will likely hope to avoid humiliation and move on to more winnable games that might edge them away from the drop.
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