Barcelona will be aiming to make it three straight wins in La Liga when they welcome relegation-threatened Granada to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday night.

Xavi's side are currently third in the La Liga table, eight points behind the leaders Real Madrid, while Granada occupy 19th, with the strugglers eight points from the safety of 17th position.

Match preview

Since Xavi announced at the end of January that he would be standing down as head coach this summer, Barcelona have won their two league games against Osasuna and Alaves.

Amid the turbulence, it could still be a successful campaign for the Catalan outfit, who will head to Napoli later this month for the first leg of their last-16 Champions League affair.

A title challenge is not out of the question, meanwhile, with Barcelona only eight points off the summit with 15 games left, while they are just six behind second-placed Girona, with the top two in Spain's top flight set to lock horns for a crucial battle on Saturday evening.

The Catalan team sit five points clear of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, and the response to their 5-3 home loss to Villarreal on January 27 and what followed has been strong.

Barcelona have actually lost three times at their temporary home this season, but they will be welcoming a Granada outfit that have picked up just one point from their 11 games on their travels.

Each of the last three league games between these two sides have finished level, though, with Barcelona's last success over Sunday's opponents in Spain's top flight coming back in January 2021.

Indeed, Granada held Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in the reverse match earlier this season, while they also picked up a point in a 1-1 draw when they visited Camp Nou in September 2021.

Granada famously won 2-1 at home of Barcelona in April 2021, meanwhile, so there should not be an inferiority complex on display here from the visitors despite their struggles this season.

There is no getting away from the fact that it has been a tough campaign for the Andalusian outfit, who secured a return to Spain's top flight by winning the 2022-23 Segunda Division.

Alexander Medina's side have only picked up 12 points from their 23 league matches this season to sit down in 19th position in the table, eight points behind 17th-placed Mallorca.

Granada managed to pick up a point at home to Las Palmas last weekend, but they have lost three of their last four in Spain's top flight, including a 2-0 defeat at Getafe in their last match on their travels.

Team News

Barcelona are set to be boosted by the return of number one goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, with the Germany international now recovering from a back operation.

Ter Stegen is expected to replace Inaki Pena between the sticks, while Raphinha has also returned to the squad after overcoming a thigh problem.

Ilkay Gundogan is fit despite a scare against Alaves last time out, but Vitor Roque is suspended due to the red card that he received in the team's last match.

Barcelona will also again be without the services of Ferran Torres, Joao Felix, Sergi Roberto, Alejandro Balde, Marcos Alonso and Gavi due to injury problems.

Andreas Christensen is expected to continue in central midfield, with Pedri operating further forward.

Granada, meanwhile, have six players unavailable for selection, with Lucas Boye, Victor Diaz, Jesus Vallejo and Raul Fernandez on the sidelines due to injury problems.

Meanwhile, Kamil Piatkowski and Gonzalo Villar are both suspended, with the former sent off against Las Palmas last time out and the latter picking up a milestone yellow card.

Oscar Melendo was substituted early on against Las Palmas, but his withdrawal was for tactical reasons due to Piatkowski's dismissal, so the midfielder will be fit for the clash with the reigning champions.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, I Martinez, Cancelo; F de Jong, Christensen, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Pedri

Granada possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Sanchez, Mendez, Miquel, Maouassa; Pellistri, Melendo, Hongla, Ruiz, Neva; Arezo

We say: Barcelona 3-1 Granada

Barcelona simply need to keep winning in La Liga and see where it takes them, especially as at least one of the top two will drop points on Saturday. Granada are better than what they have shown this season, but we are finding it difficult to back them to pick up a positive result on Sunday night.

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