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Played
September 22, 2012 9:00 PM BST
Camp Nou — Barcelona
Referee:‬ Carlos Del Cerro‎
Attendance:‬ 65834‎
 
87′ Xavi
 
90+2′ (OG) Borja Gómez
 

Barcelona - Granada Preview: Free-scoring Blaugrana aim to extend 100 per cent Liga record

Tito Vilanova's side return to domestic action against the Andalusian outfit, following a hard-fought win over Spartak Moscow in their Champions League opener on Wednesday

By Karthick Arvinth

More On :  Barcelona, Granada, Barcelona vs Granada
Lionel Messi, David Villa, Barcelona, Spartak
Getty Images
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

BARCELONA

Valdes
Alves, Song, Mascherano, Alba
Xavi, Busquets, Fabregas
Tello, Messi, Sanchez
GRANADA

Tono
Nyom, Lopez, Gomez, Siqueira
Iriney, M Rico
Torje, Orellana, El-Arabi
Floro Flores

Barcelona will be without Gerard Pique for Saturday's Primera Division encounter with Granada at Camp Nou.

The centre-back sprained his ankle in the Champions League win over Spartak Moscow and will join captain Carles Puyol (knee) and midfielder Andres Iniesta (hamstring) on the sidelines.

Alex Song is set to be drafted in as replacement for Pique, while Jordi Alba is expected to return after recovering from a bout of flu.

Granada strikers Antonio Floro Flores and Darwin Machis are both expected to be fit for the trip to Catalonia, despite sustaining knocks in the 1-1 draw with Deportivo La Coruna.

Borja Gomez returns from suspension but Odion Ighalo, Fran Rico, Hassan Yebda, Manolo Lucena and Roberto are all out.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Barcelona have won all their four matches in La Liga to date but have kept just one clean sheet.
  • A Lionel Messi hat-trick propelled the Catalan side to a 5-3 win in the corresponding fixture last season.
  • With his double against Spartak Moscow, Messi (pictured right) extended his Champions League tally to 53 goals. That total is only bettered by Andriy Shevchenko (59), Ruud van Nistelrooy (60) and Raul (71).
  • Granada are still searching for their first win of the season after two draws and two defeats in their four fixtures.
  • The Andalusian side have won just one of their last 11 matches away from home in La Liga (W1, D1, L9).
  • Granada have scored just one goal in their last six away games.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Barcelona 5-0 Granada
    17.71 %
  • Barcelona 4-0 Granada
    12.38 %
  • Barcelona 3-0 Granada
    11.4 %
Head to Head
La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 16 Feb 2013 Granada 1 - Barcelona 2
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 22 Sep 2012 Barcelona 2 - Granada 0
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 20 Mar 2012 Barcelona 5 - Granada 3
  • Player Ratings
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  • Play by Play
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La Liga ‎(LIGA)‎ 25 Oct 2011 Granada 0 - Barcelona 1
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Last Five Matches
Barcelona
19 May 2013Barcelona 2 - Valladolid 1LIGA
12 May 2013Atlético de Madrid 1 - Barcelona 2LIGA
5 May 2013Barcelona 4 - Betis 2LIGA
1 May 2013Barcelona 0 - FC Bayern München 3UCL
27 Apr 2013Athletic de Bilbao 2 - Barcelona 2LIGA
Granada
18 May 2013Granada 3 - Osasuna 0LIGA
13 May 2013Real Sociedad 2 - Granada 2LIGA
4 May 2013Granada 1 - Málaga 0LIGA
28 Apr 2013Espanyol 0 - Granada 1LIGA
20 Apr 2013Granada 1 - Valladolid 1LIGA
Odds
Returns: Barcelona £10.71 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £260.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Granada £5010.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Team News
Available Squads
1Víctor ValdésGoalkeeper
2Daniel AlvesDefender
21AdrianoDefender
4Cesc FàbregasMidfielder
11Thiago AlcántaraMidfielder
14Javier MascheranoMidfielder
16BusquetsMidfielder
25Alex SongMidfielder
7David VillaStriker
9Alexis SánchezStriker
10Lionel MessiStriker
13José Pinto ColoradoGoalkeeper
32BartraDefender
18Jordi AlbaDefender
6XaviMidfielder
30Sergi RobertoMidfielder
17PedroStriker
37TelloStriker
-ToñoGoalkeeper
2Allan NyomDefender
6Guilherme SiqueiraDefender
8Íñigo LópezDefender
9Borja GómezDefender
14Mikel RicoMidfielder
-IrineyMidfielder
20Yacine BrahimiMidfielder
83Antonio Floro FloresStriker
19Fabián OrellanaStriker
-Gabriel TorjeMidfielder
13RobertoGoalkeeper
5MainzDefender
75RomeroMidfielder
-Juanma OrtizMidfielder
20Moisés HurtadoMidfielder
15Youssef El ArabiStriker
27Darwin MachísStriker
Players to Watch
Tello
Tello
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 37
Games Goals YC RC
21 7 0 0
The young starlet marked his first ever Champions League start with a man of the match performance, which included his first goal for the senior side in six months. Tello played so well that it would probably be harsh if Tito Vilanova relegated him to the bench on Saturday.
Antonio Floro Flores
Antonio Floro Flores
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 83
Games Goals YC RC
0 0 0 0
The Italian forward finally opened his account for Granada with a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Deportivo La Coruna last weekend. Antonio Floro Flores will look to capitalise on any uncertainty in the home side's makeshift defence and lift the Andalusian side out of their slump.
Prediction
Barcelona have clicked into gear splendidly since losing the Super Cup to Real Madrid, while for Granada it has been anything but plain sailing. This has a banker home win written all over it.
Editor's Prediction
Barcelona 3
Granada 0
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Lionel Messi Lionel Messi
Striker
Barcelona 		46 4
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker
Real Madrid 		34 6
Radamel Falcao Radamel Falcao
Striker
Atlético Madrid 		28 8
Roberto Soldado Roberto Soldado
Striker
Valencia 		21 5
Negredo Negredo
Striker
Sevilla 		20 3

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