Granada vs Barcelona 9/22/19 La Liga Preview

Granada and Barcelona square off in Spanish La Liga action on September 22, 2019 at the Nuevo Los Carmenes.

Granada

Granada Club Football is the third Andalucian Club to play in the Spanish La Liga after Betis and Sevilla. Established in 1931, the club is ranked fourth in the historical points classification of Spain’s First Division after playing in the top flight for 20 seasons and achieving a sixth place finish twice.

This club has never won the La Liga but have been victorious in the Segunda Division and the Segunda B Division three times each. They also finished as runners-up in the 1959 Copa del Rey and were the winners of the Andalucia Cup in 1933. Last season, Granada finished in second place in the Segunda Division and were booted out in the second round of the Copa del Rey. However, their performance was good enough to merit a return to La Liga after a two years absence.

Antonio Puertas leads Granada with a pair of goals this season. Fede Vico and Roberto Soldado have found the back of the net once each this season. Meanwhile, Angel Montoro has three assists fo Granada while Soldado has one. On the defensive end of the field, Rui Silva has produced already 11 saves this season but has conceded five goals in four appearances.

Granada currently ranks 2nd in the La Liga in Goal Difference at +4. They are tied for 3rd with a total of nine goals scored and are 4th in assists with a total of five so far this season. Granada’s defense has yielded five goals in four matches, putting them in a tie for 9th place in Goals Conceded.

FC Barcelona

Football Club Barcelona was founded in 1899 and is the symbol of Catalan culture. In Spanish football,  FC Barcelona has won a record 74 trophies since their creation. These include 26 La Liga titles, 30 Copa del Rey victories, 13 Supercopa de Espana wins and 2 Copa de La Liga conquests. In European competitions, Barca has won a combined 20 European and world titles.

FC Barcelona is one of the founding members of the Primera Division and they have never been relegated from the top flight since their creation in 1929. In 2009, they became the first Spanish football team to accomplish the intercontinental treble- winning the La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. Barcelona has been represented by some of the sport’s greatest players. In fact, FC Barcelona has a total 11 Ballon d’Or winners and 7 FIFA World Player of they Year winners in their history, both are records.

Barcelona are the reigning La Liga Champions. They have topped the Spanish League in eight out of the last 11 years including the last two seasons. They head to the current season as the soccer betting favorites to retain their title. Antoine Griezmann, Ansu Fati and Luis Suarez each have scored two goals on the season. Griezmann leads the team with two assists as well.

The defending champions rank first in the league in Goal Difference at +5 goals. They have scored a La Liga-best 12 goals on the season and have allowed their opponents to score seven goals in four matches played. Barcelona also leads the league with a total of 11 assists on the season.

Who Wins?

Granada is off to a good start with a record of 2-1-1 SU in their first four games of the season. They opened the season with a draw against Villareal followed by a 0-1 loss to Sevilla. However, Granada has won back to back matches against Espanyol and Celta Vigo to move into 6th place in the La Liga ladder.

Barcelona is ranked 5th in the current team standings with a similar 2-1-1 SU record. The defending La Liga champions were surprise losers to Athletic Bilbao in round 1. But they have bounced back with wins over Real Betis and Valencia plus a draw against Osasuna.

Granada and Barcelona have played in a total of 12 matches. Barcelona has won 11 of those matches with Getafe winning just once against the Catalan giants. Barcelona has won the last six meetings between these two clubs and Granada has scored just two goals during that period and were blanked in four of those matches.

No question that Granada is off to a good start this season. However, when you take a look at the offensive firepower of Barcelona, I think they have too much for Granada’s defense to handle. Barcelona are champions for a reason. They have dominated this matchup historically and they are going to show against Granada that they are a class above them. Prediction: Barcelona

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