Barcelona will attempt to continue their 100 per cent start to the 2018-19 Liga season when they take on Huesca at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Ernesto Valverde's side have begun their title defence well, recording consecutive victories in their opening two games of the campaign, defeating Alaves and Real Valladolid.
And with Real Madrid taking top spot following their 4-1 win over Leganes on Saturday, the pressure is on Barca to keep pace with their Clasico rivals.
Their Aragonese visitors, who are visiting Camp Nou for the first time in La Liga, are unbeaten in their opening two matches and will take confidence from their last outing, which saw them snatch a point away to Athletic Bilbao.
| Game | Barcelona vs Huesca |
| Date | Sunday, September 2 |
| Time | 5:30pm BST / 12:30pm ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US) the game will be be shown live on television on beIN Sports.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
The game can be watched live on television in the United Kingdom (UK) via Eleven Sports 1 and it can be streamed live online using the Eleven Sports app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Eleven Sports 1 | Eleven Sports app |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Barcelona squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Cillessen |
| Defenders | Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Umtiti, Roberto |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, Busquets, Coutinho, Arthur, Vidal |
| Forwards | Messi, Suarez, Malcom, Munir, Dembele |
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Coutinho; Messi, Dembele, Suarez.
| Position | Huesca squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Werner, Santamaria, Jovanovic |
| Defenders | Etxeita, Semedo, Pulido, Akapo, Luisinho, Insua, Brezancic, Miramon, Lopez |
| Midfielders | Aguilera, Gomez, Ferreiro, Melero, Camacho, Gurler, Sastre, Musto |
| Forwards | Hernandez, Gallar, Longo, Avila |
Huesca XI: Werner; Etxeita, Luisinho, Pulido, Miramon; Musto, Gomez, Melero, Gallar; Longo, Hernandez.
Betting & Match Odds
Unsurprisingly Barcelona are firm favourites to win the game with bet365 giving odds of 1/12 on a victory for the Catalan giants. Huesca are priced at 28/1 to upset their hosts and a draw is available at 10/1.
Match Preview
Barca kicked off their Liga title defence in style two weeks ago by putting three unanswered goals past Alaves, but they were made to work much harder for the three points against Valladolid last weekend.
As they prepare to welcome Huesca to Camp Nou for the first time in a Liga fixture, Valverde is expecting another difficult match, noting the fact that the division newcomers have avoided defeat in their opening games.
"They are undefeated after playing at two tough stadiums like Ipurua and San Mames," the Barcelona boss told reporters ahead of the game. "They will stand up to us and be looking to surprise us, because they’ll be coming into the game with enthusiasm."
The hosts are adapting to the departure of club stalwart Andres Iniesta this season and Valverde deployed two different approaches against Alaves and Valladolid, using a 4-4-2 formation in the former and a 4-3-3 shape in the latter, though more or less the same personnel featured in both encounters.
There are a number of new additions who are still bedding in at Catalunya, including the likes of Arturo Vidal and Arthur, so the match against Huesca may offer Valverde another opportunity to experiment, with things set to intensify after the international break.
