Granada v Barcelona: Catalan giants aiming to put pressure back on Real

LuisSuarez - Cropped

Barcelona visit second-from-bottom Granada in La Liga on Saturday, hoping for a victory in order to put pressure back on leaders Real Madrid.

Luis Enrique's side fell to a shock 1-0 home loss at the hands of Malaga last Saturday, allowing Real to move four points clear with their comfortable 2-0 success at Elche a day later.

Once again, Barca are scheduled to play earlier than their title rivals, with Real - and third placed Atletico Madrid - facing Villarreal and Sevilla respectively on Sunday.

Following their Liga disappointment against Malaga, Barca were back to nearer their fluent best in midweek with a 2-1 victory at Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg.

Luis Suarez scored both goals for the Catalan giants - taking his season tally to nine - and the Uruguayan appears to be finally hitting his straps after a frustrating start to life in Catalonia.

"At one stage, a month ago, I was worried for myself," he told Sport890. "I am very self-critical when I don’t help the team and I was missing goals that a player can’t miss.

"I was aware of the team I joined and the money that was paid for me, and the quality of players I have around me.

"I'm fulfilling a role that I know helps the team a lot, occupying defences and letting Leo [Messi] and Neymar get in one-on-ones, where they're unstoppable."

In the corresponding fixture last season, Barca suffered a 1-0 defeat, a reverse which severely damaged their title hopes.

They will hope to avoid a repeat this time round, and can take confidence from their meeting with Granada earlier this season, which saw Neymar claim a hat-trick and Messi hit a brace in a 6-0 thrashing.

Defeat to Malaga ended a run of 11 straight wins in all competitions, while Granada have won just two of their last 24 outings.

Goals in the 88th and 93rd minutes saw them go down 2-1 at Levante last time out, and there was further damage inflicted by the dismissals of Youssef El-Arabi and Adrian Colunga, meaning both men are suspended for this game.

Despite those absences and the disparity in the two clubs' league positions, striker Jhon Cordoba is not giving up hope.

"It's 11 versus 11 and nothing is impossible," said the former Espanyol man. "We'll have our chances of getting something out of the game. We feel conscious that we can win.

"We have to keep working together, all of us united, because there's still important things we need to do, between now and the end of the season."

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