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Kick off: Monday, 18 January @19:30 GMT
Venue: Estadio Municipal de Ipurua (Eibar)
Live Stream: fuboTV (US), bet365 (non-US)
Head to head record
Granada vs Eibar 1-3 (2015/2016 La Liga)
Granada vs Eibar 0-0 (2014/2015 La Liga)
Eibar vs Granada 1-1 (2014/2015 La Liga)
EIbar vs Granada prediction
Eibar will be aiming to recover from a loss to Las Palmas in Copa del Rey when they take on relegation strugglers Granada on Monday evening. El Grana aim to escape the danger zone, but beating the Basque outfit on the road is easier said than done.
Three-match winning run in La Liga
Eibar were more than fortunate to secure La Liga survival last season, but they obviously belong to the Spanish top flight. Los Armeros sit in seventh place in the standings ahead of Matchday 20 and they will be looking to record their fourth consecutive win in the national championship when they host Granada at their Estadio Municipal de Ipurua. Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men, though, suffered elimination in Copa del Rey in midweek as they were outplayed by Las Palmas in the two-legged tie. Anyhow, Eibar are on the right track to secure the elite division survival and nothing else matters. Los Armeros are 14 points clear of the relegation zone and a win over Granada would see the Basque side move one step closer to meeting their goal. Borja Baston has been scoring goals for fun of late and the opposition defenders are likely to have their work cut off for them when facing him.
Aleksandar Pantic misses the match through suspension, while the likes of Ander Gayoso, Jaime, Mikel Arruabarrena and Gonzalo Escalante are all sidelined with injury. Lillo is a major doubt and he will be assessed on the match day.
Heavy loss in Copa del Rey
Granada did remarkably well to beat Sevilla in the Andalusian derby at their Estadio Nuevo los Carmenes, but, as expected, they were totally outplayed by Barcelona (0-4) at Camp Nou at the weekend. To make things even worse for the fans, El Grana were demolished by Valencia in Copa del Rey last 16 in midweek, meaning that they are low on confidence ahead of the trip to the Basque Country. Granada are only one point clear of the relegation zone they are definitely capable of grabbing something from upcoming games against Eibar and Getafe. The Andalusian side, though, conceded eight goals in previous two away games in La Liga and that is the main reason why I am not tempted to put my money on the visitors. Los Granadinos struggle at the back and you should have in mind that the relegation-threatened side failed to keep a clean sheet in previous six matches in all competitions.
Ruben Rochina is banned, while Andres Fernandez and Cristiano Biraghi are both doubtful and the duo will be assessed on the match day. Coach Sandoval has no other selection worries.
Quick Facts
- Eibar are eyeing their sixth home win of the season
- Los Armeros scored eight goals in last three games in La Liga
- Granada conceded 16 goals in previous five fixtures
- El Grana are after their first ever win over Eibar
- Sandoval’s team failed to score in previous three matches
Eibar vs Granada betting tip
Eibar are superior to Granada at the moment, but seeing that Monday’s game could be crucial for El Grana in their battle for survival, I am not tempted to back los Armeros to extend their winning run in all competitions to four matches. The visitors are likely to fight tooth and nail against Eibar and seeing that they will adopt a defence-minded approach this time out, there is every chance we will see a low-scoring affair in the Basque Country. Granada did concede seven goals in previous two games, but it is well known that they faced the likes of Barcelona and Valencia in those matches.
Tip: Under 2.5 goals
Odds: 1.62 (5/8) @BetVictor
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