Barcelona vs. Eibar: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
The minnows of La Liga the visitors may be, but they've started this campaign in much the same way as the last and at the time of writing are sat in a healthy seventh place, just five points off top spot.
Only one loss for Jose Luis Mendilibar's side against Atletico Madrid gives a hint at how well the Basques are playing at this juncture.
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Both Celta Vigo and Sevilla, conquerors of Barca, have been unable to claim all three points against a side that continue to impress.
Eibar are a club that continue to bang the "all for one, one for all" drum with no real superstars and, therefore, no egos. This makes Mendilibar's directives all the easier to implement.
They are a collection of individuals all pulling in the same direction and playing above themselves at this point, and they will arrive at Camp Nou with their heads high and full of confidence.
In much the same way that Paco Jemez and Rayo Vallecano approached their game with Barca last time out, Mendilibar will want his side playing without fear—going about their work in the same manner as always.
They are a team going from strength to strength again, and as Pete Jenson noted for Europsport, 14 new signings over the summer could've upset the equilibrium before the season even began:
"When bigger clubs complain that lucrative pre-season tours play havoc with preparations they have nothing on Mendilibar who had to lean on his coaching assistant’s grasp of German to tell new recruits from the Bundesliga which pegs to hang their coats on when they turned up just days before the season started.
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That Mendilibar has moulded the side into a convincing and efficient unit is to his immense credit, and whether they win, lose or draw against Barca, they'll surely leave with more admirers.
Date: Sunday, October 25
Time: 5:15 p.m. BST/1:15 p.m. ET
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
TV Info: Sky Sports 5, Sky Sports 5 HD (UK only)/beIN Sports 1 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK only)/beIN Sports Connect (U.S. only)
Form Lines
Predicted Formations
Mendilibar will likely trust his players and go for broke by taking the game to Barcelona in much the same way as Rayo did in the early stages, and with an identical 4-2-3-1 formation.
Barca still clearly have issues in defence, and if Takashi Inui can get at Dani Alves early on in proceedings, Camp Nou could be silenced once again.
If the Brazilian or Jordi Alba on the opposite side are a little too gung ho in raiding down the flanks, Eibar do have the players to take advantage. Saul Berjon won't need asking twice to shoot from distance, for example.
Better for the visitors to come and give a good account of themselves, as they are capable of doing, rather than retreating into their shells like so many opponents at the cavernous Camp Nou amphitheatre.
Gonzalo Escalante and Dani Garcia will be holding the fort in a defensive midfield partnership. Their importance to Eibar's hopes of a point or three cannot be understated.
Ivan Ramis at centre-back will struggle against the diligence of Luis Suarez, so any balls into him need to be cut off at source.
Escalante and Garcia are capable of doing so, and their excellence in the roles could frustrate the Catalans, who are yet to kill a game off before half-time this campaign—something that we have seen them do so many times before.
Neymar very much remains the danger man and focal point in Lionel Messi's continued absence. Two assists against BATE evidenced his worth to the side, despite not troubling the scoresheet himself.
Ander Capa has been Eibar's best performing defender and will need to be at the races from the start to stifle any creativity from the Brazilian.
Sergi Roberto's absence means a slight reshuffle for Luis Enrique, and Barca will likely start how they ended the midweek Champions League tie. Sergio Busquets will have to work hard in an unfamiliar left-sided role, with Javier Mascherano at the base of midfield.
Marc Bartra, therefore, should also get another run out in place of a disappointing Jeremy Mathieu and will line up alongside Gerard Pique.
Both will be kept busy by an in-form Borja Baston. Eibar's lone frontman has already plundered five goals in eight games, four of which he hasn't played the full 90 minutes.
After an error by Eibar goalkeeper Asier Riesgo led to Kevin Gameiro's late equaliser for Sevilla last time out, Enrique might be keen for his side to throw the kitchen sink at the visitors in the opening exchanges to test the resolve of the 32-year-old—who has unbelievably poor distribution statistics of just 37.7 per cent, per WhoScored.
Player to Watch
He was Eibar's best player last season, and he continues to oil the wheels in this campaign.
Saul Berjon's work rate will put many of his higher-paid contemporaries to shame. Here is a player that really earns his keep each and every week.
The old cliche of "putting sweat on the shirt" could've been invented for the 29-year-old.
He remains the driving force behind most of the good work that Eibar undertake and is always at the hub of any creativity. In short, if Saul plays well, so do Eibar.
He is integral to any attacking forays that the team produce and can be relied upon to put in a shift from first to last.
If Barcelona don't get tight to him, Saul does possess the ability to expertly bring his fellow forwards into the game.
Two goals and two assists in eight games, per WhoScored.com, is an acceptable return—one that could be added to if he takes advantage of the space that Jordi Alba will leave behind when supporting the Barca attack.
Key Battle
Ivan Rakitic was the match-winner in midweek against BATE Borisov, and he could be again here.
The drive and incessant nature of the Croatian's natural game will cause problems for an Eibar player who likes a yellow card: Dani Garcia.
Four bookings in eight games is a sign of the player's immaturity, and if Rakitic can get forward in support in the same way that he managed in Belarus, then there is every chance that Garcia's total will quickly be added to.
Garcia needs to be on his toes but careful not to take the bait too early. Rakitic certainly has the intelligence to draw the foul, and an early yellow would put Garcia on edge for the rest of the 90 minutes.
The Croatian will keep coming forward in support of his attacking brethren, and therefore, Garcia needs to maintain an acceptable distance while still being competitive in his area of the pitch.
He's not too far removed from Rakitic as he's showed exactly what he is capable of given time and space.
Odds
Barcelona win 25/147
Eibar win 14/1
Draw 13/2
Pre-match odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
