19 September 2021, 13:57 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The Spanish LaLiga Santander fixture, F.C. Barcelona vs. Granada CF, kicks off at 20:00 (GMT+1) on Monday, September 20 at Camp Nou.
Preview FC Barcelona La Liga, Sep 20, 2021
Preview Having had the game against Sevilla postponed to a later date due to international and European commitments, FC Barcelona will return to LaLiga action after Tuesday's 3-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich. Barcelona lacked quality in the final third, failing to pose any form of real threat to the German side. The below par performance caught the attention of the board as Ronald Koeman had no clue as to what to do to remedy the embarrassing situation. On the LaLiga table, Barcelona remain in 9th place, unbeaten and with a game in hand, having picked up 7 points after 3 games, 2W, 1D & 0L. On Monday, Koeman will have the question marks as he attempts to keep Barcelona's domestic campaign on track. Following a €481M financial loss after the 2020/21 season, which contributed to the departure of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann (on loan), the club has entered into contract renewal negotiations with players such as Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembélé, and Sergi Roberto. According to reports by Radio Marca, Sergi Roberto will put pen to paper for an extended contract next week. In the game against Getafe, Koeman utilized the 4—3—3 formation with Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite, and Antoine Griezmann in attack. Following the departure of the latter, coupled with Braithwaite's unavailability, having gone under the knife for knee surgery, Koeman switched to a dynamic 3—5—2 formation for the UEFA Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich. A similar formation is expected with the same personnel on Monday. Ansu Fati has returned to the squad and will be available for selection against Granada. Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero (calf injury) and Ousmane Dembélé (hamstring injury) remain in doubt for this fixture alongside Jordi Alba.
Preview Granada La Liga, Sep 20, 2021
Preview Granada lost to Real Betis 2-1 on Matchday 4 at Los Carmenes. The club had found the leveler through the lesser-known Luis Suarez (66') after the opposition had put themselves in front through Rodri (45'+2) at the stroke of halftime. But the Nazaríes had no answer to the second goal, carved out by Real Betis' Sergio Canales (89'). The defeat leaves Granada with a point above the bottom three after four games: 0W, 2D, & 2L. They return having suffered back-to-back defeats (DDLL) and in search of their first win of the season. Manager Robert Moreno could go along with the 4—3—3 formation with the 23-year-old Luis Suarez in the middle of attack. Center-back Neyder Lozano remains in doubt for this fixture.