Sunday night in La Liga action, Barcelona will make the trip to Los Carmenes to take on Granada before the international break in October.

The Catalans are the only undefeated club in La Liga after eight rounds of play, and they are in second place, one point behind bitter rivals Real Madrid. They finished their league season with a 1-0 win against Sevilla and then won their second Champions League group stage game, 1-0 at FC Porto on the road on Wednesday night.

Xavi Hernandez and company have gotten off to a fantastic start to the 2023/24 season, and they’ll likely want to take their perfect record into the second international break.

Team News from Barcelona

After suffering a knock to his left leg in Barcelona’s Champions League match against Porto, Robert Lewandowski is questionable for the team’s upcoming league match against Granada. Lewandowski was taken out of the game in the second half for Ferran Torres after a tough challenge from David Carmo.

As it stands, Barcelona will be without Frenkie de Jong (ankle), Pedri (thigh), and Raphinha (hamstring).

Barcelona’s likely starting XI vs Granada (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper

Marc Andre ter-Stegen is Barcelona’s uncontested No. 1 goalkeeper, and he will want to make it three shutouts in a row in all competitions.

Defence

Xavi may need to make adjustments to his defense in order to keep his team healthy following a spate of injuries.

After returning from injury, Ronald Araujo played the entire game against FC Porto and could be replaced by Andreas Christensen. It is recommended that Christensen start as center back for Barcelona with Jules Kounde.

It’s also possible that Marcos Alonso may replace Alejandro Balde, who started against FC Porto last week, at right back. Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo has shown enough to warrant keeping his starting berth at right back for Barcelona.

Midfield

Xavi is likely to remain with the same midfield trio that began in the 1-0 win against Porto after injuries to Pedri and De Jong limited his choices. Against Granada, the starting lineup will consist of Oriol Romeu, Ilkay Gundogan, and Gavi.

lineup for Barcelona

Romeu will sit in the middle and mop up, with Gavi and Gundogan supporting him on the flanks. In an effort to prevent the hosts from playing to their strengths, they will attempt to seize control of the game as soon as possible.

Attack

Xavi will be a little thin on offensive options against Granada, since Raphinha has already been ruled out and Lewandowski is also set to miss the game. Since he scored the game-winning goal against Porto, Ferran Torres is the most probable candidate to lead Barcelona’s assault.

Joao Felix should continue starting on the left wing for Barcelona, while the young sensation Lamine Yamal may be able to play against Granada this weekend after recovering from an illness.