Eibar vs. Barcelona: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Barcelona will be expected to keep the pressure up on Real Madrid and Sevilla at the top of La Liga on Sunday, even though they face a tricky test at Eibar.

Sevilla's 2-1 win over Real Madrid last weekend has enlivened a title race that looked almost done and dusted heading into the previous round of fixtures. But now Los Blancos, having admittedly played a game less, are just two points clear of their biggest rivals.

As the final fixture of the weekend, Barcelona could be even further away from their title rivals come kick-off. Given Eibar have only lost twice at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium all season, this will be no Sunday stroll for the Blaugrana.

Here are the viewing details for the contest, the latest team news ahead of the game and a closer look at how this match will likely pan out.

Date: Sunday, January 22

Time: 7:45 p.m. (GMT)/2:45 p.m. (ET)/8:45 p.m. (CET)

TV Info: Sky Sports 3 (UK), beIN Sports (USA)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), beIN Sports Connect (USA)

Team News

Barcelona: The Blaugrana will be without Javier Mascherano for this one, with his yellow card against Las Palmas bringing about a suspension. Rafinha is also set to miss the game with a hamstring injury.

Likely XI: Marc Andre ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar

Eibar: Eibar manager Jose Luis Mendilibar is set to be without Kike and Ivan Ramis due to injuries, while Anaitz Arbilla is doubtful.

Likely XI: Asier Riesgo; Ander Capa, Florian Lejeune, Mauro dos Santos, Antonio Luna; Gonzalo Escalante, Dani Garcia; Pedro Leon, Adrian Gonzalez, Takashi Inui; Sergi Enrich

Preview

Given Barcelona boss Luis Enrique rotated his team last weekend for the 5-0 win over Las Palmas and that the Blaugrana were involved in Copa del Rey action on Thursday against Real Sociedad, it's going to be intriguing to see the personnel involved for this one.

David Ramos/Getty Images

A strong team is a must, though, especially now Barcelona have a genuine chance of winning La Liga again, and especially given Eibar have proved themselves to be a very competitive outfit in the top flight.

The encouraging thing for Enrique in 2017 so far will be the improved form of plenty of his players, especially Suarez, who was looking a little jaded towards the back end of 2016.

WhoScored.com summed up his impressive recent efforts:

"

Luis Suárez: Has now scored 7 goals in his last 7 appearances for Barcelona

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 14, 2017"

Messi continues to dazzle as well. While Barcelona, as a whole, have been short of their immaculate standards this term, their No. 10 has continued propelling them to results.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Whether it be with his surges forward, linkup in the final third or set-piece proficiency, Messi has been exceptional in 2016-17. Provided Barcelona's other star men can lend him a little more support, they will fancy their chances of chasing down Sevilla and Real Madrid between now and the end of the campaign.

This statistic from OptaJose sums up just how consistent Messi has been in Spanish football's top flight:

Eibar will fancy their chances of springing a surprise, though. As aforementioned, their record on home soil is strong, while they were also impressive in their last La Liga outing, a 3-2 win at Sporting Gijon. Pedro Leon, a former Real Madrid player, will be out to do his old club a favour, too; he's been a menace on the flanks, consistently putting devilish deliveries into the penalty area.

There will be an onus on Barcelona to attack their hosts from the off, though, and Mendilibar's men will sit deep in an attempt to stifle the talent the visitors have. The Blaugrana won 4-0 at this venue last term, and eventually their quality will see them to another three points here.