The Catalans sit pretty at the top of the table but will want to come away with all three points in order to ensure that their seven-point lead remains intact.
Here’s a look at three talking points ahead of the encounter.
HISTORY ON VISITORS’ SIDE
After a hectic fixture schedule with 12 games in 39 days, Barcelona will be well rested for their trip to Eibar but that’s just one of the reasons why they’re the overwhelming favourites ahead of this clash.
The hosts have lost their last seven league meetings with the Catalans and how. They’ve conceded 26 goals over those encounters at an average of 3.7 per game, only scoring four in response.
As if that isn’t enough of a concern for the home side, they also have Lionel Messi‘s incredible record against them to contend with. He’s scored in all of his six games against them in the league, hitting the back of the net 12 times in total.
Lionel Messi is always likely to find the scoresheet.
VALVERDE’S IMPACT UNDERRATED
Pep Guardiola’s spell as Barcelona manager set an impossibly high bar for everyone who’s assumed the role since, inevitably being measured against the achievements of the Spaniard and his all-conquering golden generation. Luis Enrique came closest to emulating Guardiola with the treble-winning season in 2014/15.
With such tough acts to follow, it’s no surprise that Ernesto Valverde’s impressive start to life in Catalonia has somewhat flown under the radar. Under him, the team is set to equal their longest unbeaten run in the top flight of 31 games (stretching back to eight fixtures from the previous campaign) since Guardiola’s side hit the mark in 2011.
After being dealt a huge blow in the summer with Neymar’s departure, he’s proved his mettle as a man manager and a tactician. He devised a new system that’s brought more balance to the team and made them a more compact unit to compensate for their loss in attack.
Of course, he’s yet to secure any silverware so perhaps the plaudits are being reserved until then but La Blaugrana look well on course for a domestic double if not another treble.
Stellar job so far: Ernesto Valverde.
NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY
Barcelona will have one eye on their Champions League clash with Chelsea on Tuesday but can’t afford to slip up against Eibar. After draws against Espanyol and Getafe, Atletico Madrid have closed the gap at the top to seven points. Another stutter on Saturday and the league leaders will start to feel the heat.
Despite their record against Eibar, Barcelona must be wary of the Basque side’s recent form. They have lost just once – a narrow 1-0 defeat to Atletico – since the start of December and have surged to seventh place in the standings, now challenging for European qualification.
“We will need to proceed with caution because a bad result can mean that you suddenly go from having a very good year to not such a good one,” Gerard Pique warned.
In pursuit: Atletico Madrid.
