Barcelona vs. Granada: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
Barcelona welcome Granada to the Camp Nou on Saturday as joint leaders of La Liga, but after dropping points in midweek, Luis Enrique's side must respond to doubters for the first time this season.
Joaquin Caparros' side also slipped up in their most recent outing and suffered a first defeat of 2014-15 at home to Levante. They'll hope a trip to one of Spain's most daunting venues will inspire a response of their own.
Barcelona are yet to concede a goal this season, so they have high standards to maintain as Granada come looking for the upset. Viewing details are below.
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Date: Saturday, Sept. 27
Time: 5 p.m. BST/12 p.m. ET
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK, subscription required), beIN Sports Play (US, subscription required)
TV Info: Sky Sports 5 (UK), beIN Sports 2 (US)
Perfect No More
The 0-0 draw against Malaga on Wednesday evening has seen the Blaugrana drop from their La Liga perch as the only club to maintain a perfect record this season.
It was also the only game in which Barca failed to score thus far, although Enrique still has a major positive to take from the fact his defence is yet to concede its first goal.
That back line will receive reinforcements this weekend, too, after Inside La Liga revealed summer signing Thomas Vermaelen has been declared fit for the visit of Granada, and could make his club debut:
Should Barca stumble again, the likes of Sevilla and Atletico Madrid are knocking with a greater threat and will more than happily pounce on any opportunity provided to them.
Instead, Enrique will be hoping to see more of the side that triumphed 5-0 over Levante just a week ago, and less of the stymied and tame one that failed to net just a few days later.
Barcelona's Bad Omens
The last time these two sides faced off, Barca left the Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes as 1-0 losers, with a Yacine Brahimi strike proving decisive and ultimately tipping Gerardo Martino's title chase out of kilter.
It's for that reason that this 2014 rematch has some additional drama, despite the fact that in three attempts at doing so, Granada have never earned a point at the Camp Nou, failing to score in their last two visits.
Speaking after the midweek draw in Malaga, Enrique spoke to the media, per Soccerway, noting just how pivotal Lionel Messi's influence is, having seen his superstar restrained by the Andalusians:
"The fact that Messi didn't participate so much is a credit to Malaga. It's clear that the more he participates, the more dangerous we are. For us, finding Messi is key – and if we find him we will be more dangerous. That was what we found most difficult and it's clearly credit to our rival.
"
It was two years ago that Messi recorded a hat-trick en route to a 5-3 mauling of Granada, breaking Barcelona's top-scorer record with his 233rd—and eventually 234th—goals for the club, per BBC Sport.
After witnessing the Argentine's impact being severely limited on Wednesday, both coach and player will be hoping to see a different performance this weekend.
