Barcelona vs Granada predictions and match preview for Thursday’s LaLiga match. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as the Catalans target top spot in the Spanish top flight.
| Date | Thursday 29th April 2021 |
| Kick-Off | 19:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Camp Nou |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Barcelona have the chance to go top of LaLiga on Thursday when they host Granada. That would finally confirm what many have suspected for a few weeks now, that Ronald Koeman’s side are very much the side to beat in this title race but they won’t necessarily have things all their own way against Diego Martinez’s men here.
The Catalan giants already have one leg of what would be a surprise domestic double in the bag having secured the Copa del Rey with a convincing win over Athletic. They’ve won both league games since then, seeing off Getafe 5-2 before a hard fought 2-1 win in a tough game away to Villarreal at the weekend.
They’ve won their last 5 matches at Camp Nou in all competitions since being held by Cadiz in February and will have their eyes firmly on the prize now in what is turning into an intriguing title race. A trip to Mestalla, where Valencia have been quite strong of late, awaits on Sunday so Koeman may opt to rotate in some areas although with no cup distractions, all his big hitters are likely to start.
As for Granada, they travel to the Catalan capital needing a shock win to push them back into European contention. They are only one place outside the European places but a 7 point deficit on Villarreal in 7th is still going to be very tough to make up at this advanced stage in the campaign.
Their recent league form has been inconsistent with four wins and four defeats from their last eight outings. They were competitive at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan at the weekend, but went down to a 2-1 defeat against Sevilla, having won their previous two matches against Real Valladolid and Eibar. A 63% loss ratio on their travels this season in LaLiga also won’t exactly breed confidence heading into this.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 5 Barcelona Wins, 1 Draw.
- The sides last met in the Copa del Rey in February with Barcelona staging a dramatic comeback to win 5-3 in Extra Time.
- They also won 4-0 at Los Carmenes in January.
- Barcelona have won their last 7 home games against Granada.
Team News
Ousmane Dembélé remains doubtful so it’s likely to be 3-5-2 again for the hosts who have no fresh injury concerns.
Granada are missing both Ángel Montoro and Antonio Puertas to suspension. They have doubts over Roberto Soldado and Kenedy while six players remain definitely out due to injury.
Predicted Barcelona Starting Lineup:
Ter Stegen – Lenglet, Pique, Araujo – Alba, Pedri, Busquets, De Jong, Dest – Messi, Griezmann (3-5-2)
Predicted Granada Starting Lineup:
Escandell – Quini, Sanchez, Perez, Diaz – Kenedy, Eteki, Herrera, Machis – Molina, Soldado (4-4-2)
Barcelona vs Granada Prediction – Barcelona to win 4-1
Granada have had another terrific season but overall there is still quite a significant gulf in class between them and a Barcelona side that is playing well and gunning for the title. It’s hard to see any other outcome here except for a relatively comfortable home win, especially with the visitors having severe selection issues.
