Ronald Koeman chooses on Thursday evening for some changes at Barcelona in the catch-up match against Granada. Clément Lenglet, Sergiño Dest and Pedri start on the couch from 7 p.m. The Dutchman lets Samuel Umtiti, Sergi Roberto and Ilaix Moriba appear at the starting signal and opts again for a 3-5-2 line-up, with a role for Frenkie de Jong in midfield. Koeman already alternated Dest with Sergi Roberto in the past two games.
Koeman maintains Óscar Mingueza and Gerard Piqué in the three-man defense and lets Umtiti start for the first time since March 6, when he only competed in the first half against Osasuna (0-2 win). The Frenchman then only participated fifteen minutes ago against Getafe (5-2) a week ago. Marc-André ter Stegen defends Barcelona’s goal as usual.
Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba take the flanks, while Sergi Busquets and De Jong form the midfield with Moriba this time. The teenager has played thirteen games since his debut in January, but was no longer a base force since the 5-1 win over Deportivo Alavés on February 13. Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann are on the attack.
Barcelona saw on April 10 against Real Madrid (2-1 defeat) an end to a series of nineteen games in a row without a loss in LaLiga. After the defeat in Madrid, Koeman’s team seized the Copa del Rey with a 0-4 victory over Athletic Club. Afterwards, the two league matches with Getafe (5-2) and Villarreal (1-2) were converted into a win. “The lead would be a reward, but we still have to win first,” said Koeman this week about the duel with Granada, the number eight in the Spanish league. “Looking back, I did not expect this. The fact that we are now competing for the title again is something great that we have all achieved. ”
Más goleador vs. más goleado
The game between Barcelona and Granada is also the battle between La Liga’s most prolific club, el más goleador, and the club with the most goals conceded in LaLiga, el más goleado. The Barcelona counter has so far scored 76 goals, with one match less, 16 more than league-leader Atlético Madrid, 20 more than Real Madrid and 35 more than Granada. The southern Spanish club received no fewer than 53 goals against: 8 more than Eibar, 3 more than number nineteen Huesca and 10 more than number eighteen Real Valladolid. Despite this, Granada, which reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, is eighth in the Spanish league.
Line-up Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Piqué, Umtiti; Sergi Roberto, Busquets, De Jong, Moriba, Jordi Alba; Messi and Griezmann.
Granada lineup:
| No. | Team | M. | W. | G. | V. | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Madrid | 33 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 73 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 33 | 21 | 8 | 4 | 32 | 71 |
| 3 | Barcelona | 32 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 47 | 71 |
| 4 | Seville | 33 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 70 |
| 5 | Real Sociedad | 33 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 53 |
| 6 | Real Betis | 33 | 14 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 50 |
| 7 | Villarreal | 33 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 49 |
| 8 | Granada | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | -12 | 42 |
| 9 | Athletic Club | 33 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 42 |
| 10 | Celta de Vigo | 33 | 10 | 11 | 12 | -7 | 41 |
| 11 | Osasuna | 33 | 10 | 10 | 13 | -8 | 40 |
| 12 | Levante | 33 | 9 | 11 | 13 | -8 | 38 |
| 13 | Cadiz | 33 | 9 | 10 | 14 | -21 | 37 |
| 14 | Valencia | 33 | 8 | 12 | 13 | -7 | 36 |
| 15 | Getafe | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | -13 | 34 |
| 16 | Alavés | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | -21 | 31 |
| 17 | Real Valladolid | 33 | 5 | 15 | 13 | -14 | 30 |
| 18 | Elche | 33 | 6 | 12 | 15 | -20 | 30 |
| 19 | Huesca | 33 | 5 | 12 | 16 | -19 | 27 |
| 20 | Eibar | 33 | 4 | 11 | 18 | -23 | 23 |