Barcelona - Granada summary: score, goals & highlights, LaLiga EA Sports

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That's all for today, folks, in this crazy LaLiga season. Make sure you come back for more next week when we've got Champions League action on offer.

Joe

Full-time toughts:

It's another trip and tumble in this everlasting cycle of headaches for Barcelona, who failed to beat Granada for the fifth consecutive time.

The home side went ahead with Lamine Yamal in the first half but the away team mounted an impressive comeback, with Ricard smashing in a volley just before the half-time whistle.

Granada went ahead after the break, with Pellistri putting his side up before the home team equalised almost instantly.

But the surprises did not stop there, and Miquel put Granada back in front before a fantastic Lamine Yamal performance was topped off with another goal that would eventually see his side leave with a bitter point.

GAME OVER!

That's all! It ends all square.

Into the final minute...

The away side spring an attack and De Jong is well placed to head the chipped ball over the top back to Ter Stegen.

Granada have all 1 players in their own half as they defend the Barcelona barrage with their lives... 90 seconds to go.

Batalla catches a tasty cross from the left that was sent in by Raphinha.

Koundé goes down on the edge of the box as De Jong chips over. He wants a free-kick, the referee waves him away.

Gumbau can't continue...

OFF: Gumbau

ON: Torrente

Raphinha can't get on the end of the long, long ball from De Jong that forces the ex-Leeds winger to sprint 30 yards for nothing.

Ha, it's Lamine Yamal again. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner skips past a challenge on the right and sends the cross towards Guiu, who heads over by an inch!

MARC GUIU OVER THE BAR

8 added minutes.

The winger is on fire! He sent a whipped cross looping from miles out towards the far post that took paint off the crossbar as it zoomed past!

LAMINE YAMAL GOES SO CLOSE

We're into the final minute of normal time.

Barcelona change:

OFF: Pedri

ON: Marc Guiu

We're back underway.

Marc Guiu, who has gone with the Eminem haircut, is about to come on.

Batalla is down. The medics are on.

Lamine Yamal - who else? - slides a pass in towards Gündogan and Batalla gets off his line well to sweep up.

Everything good that Barça do is coming from Lamine Yamal on the right. He's their main attacking outlet as the clock ticks on towards 90.

Batalla gets down well to stop Lamine Yamal's header at the near post.

More Granada changes:

OFF: Uzuni, Pellistri

ON: Areso, Jozwiak

The ball is played over the top and Barcelona fail to deal with it. Uzuni smashes a thunderbolt towards Ter Stegen that he punches over the bar and Sergio Ruiz almost heads in from the resulting corner!

GRANADA CLOSE AGAIN

HUGE SAVE FROM TER STEGEN

It's been given, there's no issue with a foul, but the Granada players are certainly not happy.

Lamine Yamal steals the ball on the edge of the box, spins around and smashes a low drive into the near corner of the net!

Ten to go. As you were.

Iñigo Martínez had the ball in the net from the free-kick but the linesman did not hesitate in lifting his flag as the player wheeled away in celebration.

OFFSIDE

Fermín is booked for a late challenge.

Raphinha trips Pellistri and, well, let's say Granada are in no rush to get things going again.

Xavi's side come close again but Lewandowski's effort from the edge of the crowded box is blocked away.

Xavi changes things again:

OFF: Cancelo

ON: Raphinha

Granada change:

OFF: Melendo

ON: Callejón

Melendo is down after a big challenge from Fermín close to the Barcelona goal.

It was an accident, no penalty.

NOT GIVEN!!!

We've got a VAR check on the Cubarsí incident, who looks to have been stood on by Batalla during a corner.

Cubarsí goes down in the box but it's waved away; Maouassa breaks forward and drives towards goal, but his shot is deflected away.

Fermín makes an instant impact as he bursts down the right before sending a cross looping towards Lewandowski, but it's cleared well.

Xavi shuffles the pack:

OFF: Christensen

ON: Fermín

We've got just over twenty minutes of normal time to go and I honestly couldn't tell you what noise the stadium is making. It's like a series of growling murmurs mixed with periodic groans of pain. Something akin to a cave of incredibly displeased dragons.

[Copy + paste] Back underway.

The ball is swung in from the left and the centre-back rises highest to thunder a ferocious header past Ter Stegen that thwacks the post and flies into the back of the net to silence the stadium again!

IGNASI MIQUEL

Back underway.

The ball is chipped into Gundogan who flicks to his right for Lewandowski. The Pole takes one touch behind the defence and makes no mistake as he cracks a shot past Batalla.

Fantastic individual quality on show there from the blaugrana players.

LEWANDOWSKI

Well, well, well, if only I had the power to use the English language to describe Xavi's facial expression right now...

Back underway. *Something something Barcelona need a reaction...*

The ball is sailed over from the right, where Cubarsí heads behind him to Uzuni.

The striker sends a cross back where it came from and Pellistri smashes into the empty net with Barcelona players in absolute shock!

PELLISTRI

Some nice work between Lamine Yamal and Pedri on the right gives Barcelona a corner kick...

Íñigo Martínez heads well over from Gundogan's cross.

It's hugely simple from Granada, who work out from the back in two passes: Batalla opens to Ricard, who sends a low, driven ball in behind Cancelo towards Pellistri. 

The on-loan forward races towards goal and cracks a thunderbolt towards the net, which Ter Stegen saves well.

HUGE SAVE FROM TER STEGEN

Pedri finds space on the edge of the box and tries to chip a cheeky pass through the lines towards Lewandowski. The striker doesn't read the incredibly unlikely passing line, and the goalkeeper collects the loose ball.

The home side have stepped up around 10 yards while in possession, causing Granada to drop back into a low block and look much more vulnerable, just outside their box.

Barcelona break and the swift move from left to right ends with Robert Lewandowski smashing the ball well wide of goal from the left side of the box. 

He could have - and should have - tested Batalla in the Granada goal.

A wasted chance for the away side as Uzuni goes for goal from distance , despite having other options on either side.

Barcelona survive as various passes hit the heels of red and blue shirts in the back line. Again, it's the Granada defensive effort all over the pitch that is causing the issues.

The second half has started in pretty much the same way the first one went for 45 minutes: Barcelona are doing well to keep the ball given Granada's high press.

41,901 people are inside Montjuïc tonight.

Barça start brightly and Koundé flies forward before seeing his cross from the right sent spinning out for a corner.

Second half underway!

No changes for either side as Granada get us going.

The players are in the tunnel!

We're almost ready to go for the second half!

Happy Lunar New Year!

We've got a dragon show on the pitch at half-time, with a number of people in red and yellow outfits parading around with paper dragons on their heads.

Xavi to make changes?

Like much of the football this season, we haven't yet seen the best of Barcelona, who have looked out of ideas at times. 

Xavi could turn to the bench in order to get some inspiration, but we reckon that's unlikely as the Catalan side have created a fair amount of chances.

Opta with the goods

The stats bosses have come out with another huge stat that highlights just why Lamine Yamal is so special.

Safe to say Barça weren't happy with that equaliser...

Can Xavi's side find a reaction in the second half?

Ricard with an angry celebration

The full-back threw his arms into the air in anger after he drew level for Granada.

Half-time thoughts:

It was going all so well for Barcelona, who scored early and looked in control. They had created ample chances to increase their lead but the Granada threat was always there and they managed to get a goal from nowhere before the break.

Lamine Yamal had put his side ahead and the catalan club looked likely to score again, with Lewandowksi missing a huge chance. Minutes later, it was Ricard who got on the end of aPellistri cross to smash home and crush the dreams of a Barcelona rout.

Half-time!

What a half of football in Cataluña!

Granada come again with Pellistri down the right, but the linesman judges that the ball had already left the boundaries of the pitch.

Barcelona look shook as Granada suddenly have their tails up again and are scampering all over the pitch like 11 yellow puppies.

3 added minutes.

We're into the final minute of normal time in the first half.

Pellistri breaks down the right and it's the right-back, Ricard, who smashes the volley high into the roof of Ter Stegen's goal!

RICARD SÁNCHEZ

What a move from Barcelona, who break at pace.

The ball is played across goal to Robert Lewandowski who only has to tap the ball in from a couple of yards, but he hits Hongla who dived heroically in front of the shot!

OFF THE LINE LEWANDOWSKI

Gumbau beats Lewandowski to a ball from Ter Stegen and Granada do well to race forward. Maouassa's cross is eventually blocked but yet again, it's scary defending from the home side.

Christensen breaks through the middle but he flicks an arm out at Sergio Ruiz, who is sent to the floor. Xavi is fuming at the decision.

Lamine Yamal goes down in the box but there's no way he's getting a penalty from this referee.

We're back underway. The referee didn't even give a foul, it seems.

The medics are on the pitch and in another world, Cubarsí would be off. Lucky boy.

Cubarsí goes in very, very high on Uzuni and the striker is on the floor, rolling around.

Barcelona are plyingsome nice, albeit inoffensive, football in the middle third of the pitch. For now, Granada are managing to hold them off and keep the distance up from goal.

Melendo, who has looked very handy in the first half an hour, gets a tough tackle from Cubarsí, who will have a statue paid for by the fans at this rate.

Both managers, perhaps smelling blood, are going crazy on the touchline.

Cubarsí gets a huge applause as he battles well with - and beats - Uzuni for a ball over the top that was destined for the forward.

Barcelona are playing keep-ball in order to take the sting out of Granada's press, which is seriously mighty.

Lamine Yamal goes up against Maouassa through the middle and gets the better of him, spinning and twisting wildly inside the box. 

He sends a dangerous cross across goal but nobody is there to smash home for Barça's second.

CHANCE FOR BARCELONA

Pellistri is causing Barcelona problems and I think we can say that this is Granada's best spell so far.

He worms his way down the right and forces a corner after nice footwork close to the goal.

I'm not sure how many mistakes that is from Ter Stegen but he's just made another one: he takes 40 days and 40 nights to decide what to do with the ball and eventually opts for kicking it at a Granada player just a yard in front of him.

The shock is so much from the attacker that he can't get a shot away, but that was a shocker from the German, who looks way oof the pace.

It's nervy again from Barcelona at the back as Ter Stegen gets another pass all mixed up and gives the ball away close to goal. Granada pounce and there are just inches between it as Uzuni misses the ball in what would've been a spectacular free-kick.

Maouassa is in everything - good or bad - that Granada do. He drives down the left before cutting in and firing a shot over Ter Stegen's goal.

Granada haven't allowed the goal to crush their spirits and are still committed to pressing like crazy.

Back underway. The crowd are on their feet!

De Jong plays down the line to Cancelo, who cuts back onto his right foot before sending a chipped cross to the far post where Lamine Yamal only had to tap into an empty net!

LAMINE YAMAL

Maouassa gets it all wrong on the left and misjudges the ball that allows Lamine Yamal to drive towards goal. He sends a low cross across the face of goal and Lewandowski's boot side was not enough to reach the ball as it zipped past the far post.

HUGE CHANCE FOR BARCELONA

Uzuni is sticking touch tight to Cubarsí, who is being targetted constantly by the forward in his rabid press frenzy. He's like a really annoying fly.

Ten minutes in and it's been pretty even so far, with both sides seeing plenty of the ball and managing to create decent openings.

Batalla gets out well to collect a pass from Lewandowksi destined for Gündogan. It was a lovely flick from the striker to almost set up his teammate, but the goalkeeper was very attentive to the situation.

It's Faitout Maouassa again who is causing problems for the Catalan club. Pellistri makes room on the right to cut in and plays across the pitch to the full-back, but he can't sort his feet out in time and sees his shot skewed wide.

Cancelo gets the better of his opposite number and drives forward before playing a square pass towards Lamine Yamal on the right.

Faitout, who was a late change for Granada and has surprised us all with his inclusion, steps in well.

Barcelona are struggling to find options to move through the thirds as the press from the yellow shirts is utterly suffocating.

Granada are not making it easy for the home side in the opening stages and are pressing their opponents rabidly all over the pitch. 

Wobbly from Barcelona as Ter Stegen sends a ball towards De Jong, who is pressured by Sergio Ruiz. The Dutchman almost loses out but manages to poke it back to the goalkeeper.

Granada immediately win the ball and begin a slow period of possession as Barcelona race to get the ball back.

And we're off!

Barcelona get us going and it's Granada, in their yellow and white away kit, chasing the ball.

A sensational noise at the ground

What an atmosphere at Montjuïc! The fans are certainly bringing the noise this evening!

Teams are out!

Here come the players!

Just a few minutes to go!

The camera that we've got has just shown us a sneak peak inside the dressing room of the away side and we're just moments away from seeing them in the tunnel!

Barcelona slowly getting back to full strength

It feels like a while, but it looks as though Barcelona are finally getting back to their full-strength squad.

A reminder of the starting XIs:

Here's how the teams line up:

BARCELONA

GK: Ter Stegen

DEF: Kounde - Cubarsí - Íñigo - Cancelo

MID: De Jong - Christensen - Gündogan 

ATT: Lamine - Lewandowski - Pedri

GRANADA

GK: Batalla

DEF: Ricard - Rubio - Miquel - NEva

MID: Gumbau - Ruis - Hongla - Melendo - Pellistri

ATT: Uzuni

Warmups underway!

Both teams are on the pitch for the warmups ahead of kick-off!

Under the spotlight: Pellistri

The Uruguayan came on loan from Premier League side Manchester United as Granada moved many pieces in the January market and brought in 10 - yes, ten - players.

The right-footer had featured sparingly for Erik Ten Hag in England so a move away to find more minutes has generally been seen as the best option, especially with the Copa América and those notorious Bielsa fitness tests coming up…

Who to watch: Lewandowski

Lewandowski is not having the season of his life at Barcelona this year, and has only scored 9 league goals so far.

He’s struggled to find the back of the net all season, with the club even moving in January to bring in Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranaense in Brazil.

The Pole is 35-years-old and sits 9th in the top scorers standings, but he’s still just about, with Ferran breathing down his neck on 7, the top marksman at the club.

Barça not playing 'at home'

As I’m sure you are aware, Barcelona are not playing at their regular home stadium this year, Camp Nou, and are instead up the hill at Montjuïc.

Offically known as the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, was the main venue for the 1992 Olympic Games and since then it's been overlooking the city from atop the hill; Montjuïc is not a perfect solution, but it’s a short term solution until the club give Camp Nou a facelift..  

FC BARCELONA

Barça and Nike’s 26-year partnership in danger

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently hit out against the the Oregon sportswear brand: “In times of difficulty, they have not been on our side.”

This could spell the end of the relationship between the club and brand, which has become, without doubt, one of the most iconic in football history.

Serious faces from the away side

Granada's two wins this season have both come at home, meaning that their task is not only to get past Barcelona but to do something they haven't done at all in what we've seen of the season so far. 

However, they did indeed get a point from their Catalan opponents at home back in October, where they managed a 2-2 draw against Xavi's side.

Can Barcelona win LaLiga?

A week ago, after losing 3-5 at home to lowly Villarreal, you’d have been forgiven for laughing at the suggestion that the Catalan club could have sniff at league glory this season. 

However, a week is a long time in football and it now looks like Barcelona could indeed catch up to runaway train Girona, who sit in second. 

Getting close to Real Madrid is another question altogether, but if they do get past Girona in the standings, who knows what might happen?

LALIGA

Barcelona - Granada: times, how to watch on TV, stream online | LaLiga 2023/24

Want to watch the game on your TV or tablet and also follow the live text coverage? Have a look at this handy guide.

Will's got you covered with all the television and streaming information you need if you want to watch Barça host Granada on matchday 24 of the LaLiga season.

Xavi is on his way out

The Catalan coach confirmed his exit a few weeks back and since then, Barcelona have somewhat reacted, winning 2 from 2.

I say ‘somewhat’ as, as has become usual over the past few seasons, they’ve done just about enough to win without looking entirely convincing.

Anyway, Xavi’s had enough, saying that his work “will never be valued”, so these last few games of the season, despite having nothing to play for except UCL qualification, are going to certainly be of interest.

Here's Alexander Medina's chosen XI:

It's as we expected with Granada for the game.

Batalla is in goal with Ricard, Miguel Rubio, Miquel and Neva ahead of him.

Hongla, Sergio Ruiz and Gumbau are in the engine room with Melendo, Uzuni and Pellistri up top.

Barcelona XI revealed!

Xavi has gone with Ter Stegen in goal, who sits behind a back four of Cubarsí. Íñigo, Kounde and Cancelo.

It's not known if it will be a back three or whether Andreas Christensen will once again deputise in midfield alongside De Jong and Gündogan. 

Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski are up top, but expect Pedri to be floating around there as well.

How things look in LaLiga for Granada:

Look away, Granada fans, as it’s not looking good for you.

The southern Spanish side are a whopping 8 points from safety and have only won two games all season. They’ve been leaky at the back, conceding 45, and have scored 23.

Granada channelling the spirit of the dragon

The LaLiga side are getting into the spirit of things ahead of the tie.

Who's the ref?

Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias is the man with the whistle today, which is most certainly bad news for your team.

The 39-year-old made his debut in 2021, after refereeing in both Segunda and Segunda B previously. He has an average of 4.5 yellows per game, so keep you fouls in your pockets, chaps.

Guess who's back!

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is finally back in contention to get some minutes on the pitch after overcoming a back injury on international duty back in 2023.

How the table looks for Xavi:

Barcelona are currently 6 points behind second place, where Girona sit. Míchel’s side played Real Madrid yesterday and were roundly thumped, meaning Barcelona can edge that bit closer and keeo the dream of second place alive.

Granada team news:

Medina has less than Xavi to worry about on the suspension front, with Piatkowski and Villar servings bans, while Jesús Vallejo is out with an injury. The doubts for the Andalucian side are Raúl Fernández and Lucas Boyé.

Barcelona team news:

Vitor Roque is suspended for the game due to the red he received in the last game. 

Marcos Alonso, Balde, Gavi, Ferran and João Félix are all unavailable with various injuries, while Sergi Roberto was described as “touch and go”. 

The good news, however, is that Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is finally back in the squad after being out for months with a back issue, as is Raphinha and Ilkay Gündogan, who were given the green light to be involved with their friends.

Welcome!

Hello and a warm welcome to today’s live coverage of what is, without doubt, the biggest sporting event of the weekend. 

It’s Joe here to bring you the tie between high-flyers Barcelona and lowly Granada. Kick-off is just over an hour away.