Barcelona vs. Granada: Key Battles, Predictions for 2016 La Liga Match

Barcelona could not have asked for a simpler fixture to end a tricky month in La Liga. Granada enter the match on Oct. 29 without a win in any of their nine league games this season and an abysmal record against the champions, having lost 3-0 and 4-0 to Luis Enrique's side in 2015/16.

Luis Enrique needs a similarly confident win at the Camp Nou this weekend. A dramatic injury-time penalty from Lionel Messi earned them three points in a wild and frantic game against Valencia on Oct. 22, but with both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid also winning, Barcelona remain two points off top spot.

Nerves will not be soothed—and thoughts of the shock 4-3 defeat to Celta Vigo on Oct. 2 will not be put to bed—until Barca produce a trademark display against Spanish opposition.

Key Battles

MSN vs. Victorien Angban

Granada were torn to shreds by Atletico at the Vicente Calderon in their last away match, slumping to a 7-1 defeat on Oct. 15. Their only bright spark that day was 20-year-old Ivorian defensive midfielder Victorien Angban, who broke up the play admirably despite the dreadful overall shape of his team.

Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have the ability to score against any team in the world, but if Granada somehow manage to keep them quiet, then Angban's diligent work from the base of midfield will have been the key to their success.

The visitors will sit back and attempt to absorb pressure during this contest, and while that is normally a bad decision against Barcelona, Andres Iniesta's absence through injury, per Samuel Marsden for ESPN FC, could allow Angban to flourish. Without the Spaniard's creativity, Barcelona may struggle to thread that killer pass through Granada's compact lines of four.

Ezequiel Ponce vs. Barcelona's injury-hit defence

Injuries to several Barcelona defenders have seen the champions concede five goals in their last three La Liga matches.

Jeremy Mathieu's injury on Tuesday means he joins Gerard Pique on the treatment table, as per Paul Vinnell for Sky Sports, leaving Luis Enrique with limited options across the back line.

The extent of Mathieu's calf problem is not yet known, but more information will emerge on Wednesday, per the club:

This is good news for Granada and their Argentinian striker Ezequiel Ponce. The 19-year-old has impressed since arriving on loan from Roma in the summer, scoring on his debut and proving a nuisance for defenders with his aerial threat.

Barcelona are famously weak at defending crosses into the box, and without the power of Mathieu or Pique, they look especially vulnerable.

Granada should test Barcelona's nerves with some early long balls up towards Ponce and try to win as many set pieces as they can in the Barca half.

Luis Enrique's side have been playing somewhat anxiously of late. A couple of early chances for Ponce could be enough to unsettle Barcelona's rhythm and produce another game like the 3-2 defeat of Valencia, described by the Blaugrana boss as a "mad game," per Sid Lowe in the Guardian.

Despite Barca's injury crisis and shaky league form, they should easily dispatch of rock-bottom Granada.

The hosts have averaged more than three goals per game at the Camp Nou this season, while Granada have shipped an astonishing 17 goals in their four away matches so far.

A calm and assured victory is precisely what Barcelona need, and it's almost certainly what they will get.

Prediction: Barcelona to win 5-0.