Barcelona striker Luis Suárez (R) attacks Espanyol goalkeeper Pau Lopez. (Photo : Getty Images)
Defending champions FC Barcelona (12-2-3, 39 points) will look to go back to its winning form after a month of in-game struggles as it faces hard-fighting Granada CF (4-9-5, 17 points) at the Camp Nou on Saturday, January 9 to open the second half of the 2015-2016 La Liga season.
Barcelona settled for its third drawn match in the team's last four matches with a goalless tie versus local rival Espanyol last Saturday at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, via SkySports.
Established superstars Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez both had chances to score for Barça, but their fellow Catalonia residents, who were led by Chilean defender Enzo Roco, were able to effectively fend off their attacks.
With the draw, Luis Enrique's side gave up temporary league leadership to Atletico Madrid, who moved two points clear over Barça after they won their match against Levante, 1-0, also on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Granada surprised Sevilla with a 2-1 win at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes on Sunday, as per ESPN.
Nigerian striker Isaac Success scored the opening goal for Jose Ramon Sandoval's squad at the 17th minute. It was followed up by a right-footed shot from center box by forward Adalberto Penaranda exactly 20 minutes later to make it an early 2-0 lead for the Nazaries.
Sevilla midfielder Vitolo managed to put his team on the board before the stroke of halftime to make 2-1 at the break for Granada.
The Sevillistas tried to come back in the second half, but defender Adil Rami was sent off at the 86th minute, which doused their effort to level the count.
The predicted result is a tough 2-1 win for Barcelona. Barça is set to regain its form as Messi and Neymar continue to recuperate from their recent injuries.
Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar
Granada starting lineup (3-4-1-2 formation): Andres; Lomban, Mainz, Doria; Foulquier, Perez, Krhin, Mendez; Rochina; Success, Penaranda
