Barcelona will attempt to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 36 matches when they travel to dangerously out-of-form Eibar in Sunday afternoon's La Liga clash at the Ipurua.
Thursday's 5-1 win over Rayo Vallecano made it 35 games unbeaten - a new Spanish record - and they will be confident of continuing their charge towards the title against minnows Eibar this weekend.
Eibar
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Having finished in the La Liga relegation zone last season, Eibar, technically, should not be playing top-flight football this term.
Elche's financial problems saw them relegated, however, and allowed Eibar a route back into the league. They were tipped to struggle throughout the campaign, but a solid return from 27 matches has left them in eighth spot in the table.
In fact, Eibar will enter this round of fixtures 10 points clear of the relegation zone and having won 10 of their 27 fixtures to date. A total of 36 points is even more impressive when considering that the Gunners have lost six of their last seven in the league - including a 1-0 defeat at Sevilla last time out.
In fact, Eibar's only league win since January 18 came at home to basement side Levante on February 14 and since then they have been beaten by Celta Vigo, Las Palmas and Sevilla, failing to score in their last two fixtures.
While a home game against this Barcelona is a tough task, Eibar will face Rayo Vallecano and Getafe in their two league matches after this one and will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways over the next couple of weeks. A tough start to April, however, sees them face in-form Villarreal and Real Madrid in back-to-back games.
Scoring goals has not been a problem for Eibar this season, with Jose Luis Mendilibar's side netting 40 in their 27 league matches, which is actually more than Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. When taking into account that Eibar were playing Segunda B football as recently as the 2012-13 season and have a stadium that holds little over 6,000, it is incredible that the Basque club have managed to hold their own in the top flight.
Recent form: LLWLLL
Barcelona
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October 3, 2015 was the last time that Barcelona were beaten in any competition. That particular defeat came at Sevilla in La Liga, but since then, the Catalan outfit have been on a 35-game unbeaten run. That is now a new Spanish record, with Thursday's 5-1 win at Rayo Vallecano surpassing Real Madrid's previous record.
Barcelona's incredible form has seen them advance to the final of the Copa del Rey, win the Club World Cup and almost guarantee themselves a spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. There is also the small matter of La Liga, which Barcelona currently lead by eight points from second-placed Atletico Madrid and 12 ahead of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid will fancy their chances of closing that gap to nine points when they face Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon, but Atletico face a tough trip to Valencia on Sunday night and defeat could well put Diego Simeone's side out of the race. In truth, it is going to take a minor miracle for Barcelona to be denied another league crown this term.
The last team to take points off Barcelona in the league were close rivals Espanyol on January 2, when the points were shared in a 0-0 draw. Since then, Luis Enrique's side have won 10 times in the league - including a comfortable victory over nine-man Rayo last time out. Indeed, Barcelona could afford to miss a penalty and a number of clear chances and still run out comfortable winners in the Spanish capital.
After this one, Barcelona will welcome Getafe to Camp Nou in the league, before facing Villarreal on March 20. The start of April will bring a home game against Real Madrid and by then, the Catalan outfit should have booked their spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League as they prepare to take on Arsenal later this month - holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg of their last-16 clash in London.
Both of Barcelona's La Liga defeats this season (Celta, Sevilla) have come on the road, however, and they have not been at their sparkling best in recent weeks. It is difficult to imagine Eibar upsetting the apple-cart this weekend, but football has a funny way of throwing up surprise results.
Recent form: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW
Team News
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Eibar will be without the services of defender Lillo Castellano, who picked up a red card against Sevilla last time out. As a result, Mauro dos Santos is expected to come into the back four.
Saul Berjon is also pushing for a return after coming off the bench against Sevilla, but Mendilibar might find it difficult to alter his preferred pairing of Borja Baston - who has scored against Barcelona this season - and Sergi Enrich.
Keko and Antonio Luna, meanwhile, remain on the treatment table for the home team.
As for Barcelona, the 'MSN' will be broken up this weekend as Neymar serves a one-game suspension.
The Brazilian's absence could open up a spot in the XI for Arda Turan, who scored his first Barcelona goal against Rayo, while Munir El Haddadi will also hope to feature.
Dani Alves is also available after a one-match ban, while Jordi Alba is expected to return after being rested last time out. The preferred full-back pair should replace Sergi Roberto and Jeremy Mathieu from the Rayo clash.
Eibar possible starting lineup:
Riesgo; Dos Santos, Pontic, Ramis, Junca; Escalante, Garcia, Radosevic, Adrian; Baston, Enrich
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic; Turan, Suarez, Messi
Head To Head
These two clubs have only ever met three times in their history and the first of those was in October 2014, when Barcelona ran out 3-0 winners at Camp Nou.
The Catalan outfit also recorded a 3-1 victory when the pair met in Barcelona earlier this season, while the corresponding league match last term ended in a 2-0 victory for Enrique's side courtesy of a Lionel Messi double.
We say: Eibar 0-2 Barcelona
Neymar is a big miss for Barcelona and there is no question that the Catalan giants have struggled to find their best football in recent weeks. They have continued to win, however, due to their incredible quality in the final third.
Eibar will be backed by a vocal home support and will fancy their chances of causing the visitors some problems, but we are backing Barcelona to make it 11 league victories in a row with a comfortable 2-0 success.
Matt Law
