The lowdown on Granada CF

A closer look at FC Barcelona's opponents in Sunday's Liga fixture.

On Sunday at 9pm CEST, FC Barcelona will be looking to continue their strong start to the 2023/24 season with a game away to Granada. Time to check in on the red-and-whites… 

The city

With a population of around 470,000 people, the beautiful Andalusian city of Granada sits beneath the Sierra Nevada, about an hour by car from the Mediterranean coast, and is a popular destination for students and tourists alike. Its most famous monument is the Alhambra, an Arab citadel and palace.

The club

Granada Club de Fútbol was founded in 1931, and its greatest achievement was reaching the cup final in 1959, which it lost 4-1 to Barça. But towards the end of the century, the club declined, and when Granada finally won promotion back into La Liga in 2011, it was their first appearance in the top flight for 35 years.

In 2019/20, the Nazaríes (the nickname comes from the Moorish dynasty that ruled Granada in the Middle Ages) finished 7th, their best position since 1974, and the prize was qualification for Europe for the first time in club history. The marched all the way to the quarter finals of the Europa League, eventually going out to Manchester United. Three seasons after those dizzy heights, they were back in the second division, but have bounced straight back up to join the big boys once again in 2023/24.

The stadium

The 19,336 capacity Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes was opened in 1995 and although it is on a different site to the former Los Cármenes, it has retained the name, which refers to the typical villas with gardens.

Head to head

Barça have not traditionally had too much trouble in games against Granada, but recent meetings have been exceptions to the rule, with Barça failing to win any of the last three meetings.

And the one before that, a dramatic Copa del Rey quarter final in 2021, required extra time after two extremely late goals from Griezmann and Jordi Alba nicked a draw before the regulation 90 minutes were up.

Two months later, Granada, who had never so much as drawn at Camp Nou, claimed a shock 2-1 win in the Catalan capital, a result that practically ended all hope of a blaugrana league title.

And although they were relegated in 2021/22, Granada did go down knowing that they had managed to draw 1-1 both home and away against Barça.

Last five meetings
08/01/22 Granada 1-1 Barça
20/09/21 Barça 1-1 Granada
29/04/21 Barça 1-2 Granada
03/02/21 (Copa del Rey) Granada 3-5 Barça
09/01/21 Granada 0-4 Barça