Granada will be looking to get their top-six challenge back on track when they continue their 2019-20 La Liga season at home to Eibar on Sunday night.
The home side are without a victory in their last three in the league, but Eibar will enter this weekend's contest off the back of an impressive 1-0 win over Valencia on Thursday night.
Match preview
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Granada secured a return to La Liga by finishing second in the Segunda Division last term and therefore consolidating at this level was always going to the club's priority this season.
They have exceeded expectations, though, and currently sit ninth in the table, just five points off sixth-placed Villarreal and six behind Getafe in fifth position.
El Grana have not finished higher than 15th in La Liga since the 1973-74 campaign, which is an indication of just how impressive they have been as they chase a potential Europa League spot.
Diego Martinez's side recorded a 2-1 win over Getafe on their return to action on June 12, but they have only picked up two points from their three games since, drawing with Real Betis and Leganes, in addition to suffering a 1-0 home loss to Villarreal, who have an outside chance of a top-four finish this term.
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Eibar, meanwhile, as mentioned, will enter the match off the back of a huge result against Valencia on Thursday, claiming all three points courtesy of an own goal from Geoffrey Kondogbia in the 16th minute.
Jose Luis Mendilibar's side are now six points clear of the relegation zone, meaning that they are in a strong position to retain their spot at this level for the 2020-21 campaign.
Los Armeros have been present in the top flight for the last six seasons, finishing 10th, ninth and 12th in their last three campaigns, which is an indication of their standing at this level.
A three-game unbeaten run has seen them open up a gap to the bottom three, although they are still vulnerable as the matches come thick and fast.
Eibar have actually won their last five league games against Granada, scoring 17 times during an impressive run, including three in a 3-0 success in the reverse clash earlier this season.
Granada La Liga form: DDWDLD
Eibar La Liga form: LLLDDW
Team News
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Granada will again be missing Maxime Gonalons, Alex Martinez, Quini and Neyder Lozano for this weekend's clash, while Alvaro Vadillo and Angel Montoro are doubts for the hosts.
There are not expected to be too many changes from the side that drew at Leganes last time out, with Roberto Soldado likely to continue as the striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Darwin Machis and Antonio Puertas are also expected to keep their spots in the final third.
As for Eibar, Ivan Ramis is still on the sidelines through injury, but the Basque side did not pick up any fresh concerns against Valencia on Thursday night.
Mendilibar is expected to shuffle his pack with Sergi Enrich and Sergio Alvarez likely to come into the XI, while Sebastian Cristoforo is also an option for change in midfield.
Fabian Orellana is the team's leading goalscorer in the league this season with eight, and the 34-year-old should also feature for the visitors in an advanced area.
Granada possible starting lineup:
Silva; Foulquier, Duarte, Vallejo, Neva; Azeez, Herrera; Puertas, Cortes, Machis; Soldado
Eibar possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Correa, Oliveira, Bigas, Cote; Orellana, Escalante, Alvarez, Cristoforo; Enrich, Charles
We say: Granada 2-0 Eibar
Granada will have had longer to prepare for this match, with Eibar in action on Thursday night, which is a huge advantage. The hosts are in need of three points to boost their chances of claiming a Europa League spot, and we fancy them to be on the right end of a 2-0 scoreline.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Granada win with a probability of 40.41%. A win for Eibar had a probability of 31.77% and a draw had a probability of 27.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Granada win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.29%) and 2-0 (7.6%). The likeliest Eibar win was 0-1 (10.32%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.07%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 7.1% likelihood.
