Granada vs Barcelona
Spain – Copa del Rey
Date: Wednesday, 3 February 2021
Kick-off at 20:00 UK/ 21:00 CET
Venue: Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes
A place in te Copa del Rey semis will be at stake when Granada and Barcelona go head to head at Estadio Nuevo los Carmenes on Wednesday evening.
Los Granadinos did well to crush Navalcarnero 6-0 in the last 16, but they are on a three-game winless run in La Liga.
The Andalusian outfit are eager to claim a major scalp in the Spanish Cup, but given Barca’s form ahead of the trip to Granada, home win should not be considered.
The likes of Gonalons, Lozano, Milla, Quina, and Quini are all out of contention with injuries.
Barca, on the other hand, are on a four-game winning run in all competitions, and they must be high on spirits ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
Since Leo Messi is likely to keep his place in the starting XI, we are tempted to put our money on Ronald Koeman’s troops. Coutinho, Dest, Fati, and Pique remain in the recovery room.
⚡️LIVE NOW! ⚡️ Barça training session ahead of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal versus Granada!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 2, 2021
👀 Watch now on Barça TV+: https://t.co/bbVNGXoMPq pic.twitter.com/k6mc3gAQjl
Granada vs Barcelona: Head-to-head (h2h)
Teams Granada Barcelona played so far 15 matches.
Granada won 2 direct matches. Barcelona won 13 matches. 0 matches ended in a draw. On average in direct matches both teams scored a 3.27 goals per Match.
Granada vs Barcelona Prediction
Granada in actual season average scored 1.43 goals per match. In 12 (75.00%) matches played at home was total goals (team and opponent) Over 1.5 goals. In 7 (43.75%) matches in season 2021 played at home was total goals (team and opponent) Over 2.5 goals.
Barcelona average scored 2.19 goals per match in season 2021. In 12 (75.00%) matches played away was total goals (team and opponent) Over 1.5 goals. In 8 (50.00%) matches played away team was total goals (team and opponent) Over 2.5 goals.
Team News:
Granada will welcome Yan Eteki back from suspension for this showdown, and the midfielder could slot straight back in if Angel Montoro is granted a rest.
Neyder Lozano and Maxime Gonalons are both injured, and the hosts are otherwise in good shape heading into the quarter-final, but Martinez still has some big calls to make given the calibre of opponent.
Alberto Soro and Roberto Soldado will hope to earn starts after finding the back of the net against Navalcarnero, while second-choice goalkeeper Aaron Escandell could be given the nod once again.
Barcelona lynchpin Sergio Busquets is back from suspension for this tie and is expected to reprise his regular spot in the engine room - potentially in place of Frenkie de Jong.
Sergi Roberto is back after a lengthy layoff and could slot in at right-back over Oscar Mingueza - a centre-back by trade - but Sergino Dest is expected to sit this one out through injury.
The Squad for #GranadaBarça in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal! pic.twitter.com/HbniAY71sr
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 2, 2021
Koeman will put out a strong team but is likely to make changes regardless, with Neto, Clement Lenglet, Riqui Puig and Martin Braithwaite all hopeful of earning starts.
Granada possible starting lineup:
Escandell; Diaz, Duarte, Perez, Neva; Eteki, Herrera; Soro, Vico, Machis; Soldado
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Neto; Roberto, Araujo, Lenglet, Firpo; Busquets, Pjanic; Trincao, Puig, Messi; Braithwaite