Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba were on target as Barcelona returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 2-0 victory away at Eibar.
The Catalan giants were made to work hard for their first three-point haul in three matches, first finding a way through 16 minutes in when Suarez rounded the keeper and tucked home.
Alba finally made certain of the win late on after firing home from the rebound, as the home side - reduced to 10 men for the final 25 minutes - missed out on the chance to claim another big scalp.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the La Liga meeting between Eibar and Barcelona at the Estadio Ipurua. The visitors have dropped points in back-to-back matches, but they still retain a healthy seven-point advantage over closest challengers Atletico Madrid at the summit and have a chance to extend that lead into double figures today.
A season to remember for Los Armeros has them sitting seventh in the division, meanwhile, and within touching distance of a European spot with a third of the season to play. A thumping win over Sevilla last time out here certainly sent out a message to the more established sides above them that they are not messing about, and another three-point haul this afternoon would well and truly shake up the division.
BARCELONA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ter Stegen; S.Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Paulinho, Iniesta; Messi, L.Suarez
SUBS: Cillessen, Semedo, Dembele, Coutinho, Digne, Aleix Vidal, Yerry Mina
Starting with a look at the visiting side, the big news is that Philippe Coutinho is surprisingly only among the subs this afternoon. The big-money January arrival is ineligible to face Chelsea in the Champions League next Tuesday and was therefore expected to start this one, but Ernesto Valverde has instead gone with Andres Iniesta as the chief playmaker in central midfield.
Valverde has Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti back together in the heart of defence following their returns from injury and suspension respectively. That is a major boost for the Catalans three days on from their trip to West London, while Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba are given the nod at full-back. The major surprise is the inclusion of Iniesta in the middle, though, as the Spaniard was expected to be afforded a rest today.
With versatile Coutinho among the subs and Ousmane Dembele still struggling with injury - just five appearances in all competitions for him since September - Valverde has little choice but to stick with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi up top. Rumours earlier this week suggested that Messi would be afforded more breaks between now and the summer, but that will not be the case this afternoon as Barcelona as desperate for all three points.
EIBAR TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Dimitrovic; Pena, Ramis, Arbilla, Jose Angel; Dani Garcia, Diop; Orellana, Jordan, Inui; Kike
SUBS: Riesgo, Escalante, Capa, Charles, Alejo, Leon, Lomban
As far as the home side are concerned, manager Jose Luis Mendilibar has gone with one up top in former Middlesbrough man Kike, who has four goals in 21 league outings this term. Charles boasts a slightly better record, scoring six times in one game fewer, but he is only among the subs. Joan Jordan will be tasked with providing the ammunition from attacking midfield, as Eibar aim to pull off a big upset.
There is still no Sergi Enrich for Los Armeros due to an injury sustained over a month ago, and Fran Rico is also among the absentees from the matchday squad. Some good news for Eibar, though, as they are able to include Pedro Leon among their subs following eight months out injured. Whether or not the influential midfielder will be required this afternoon is a different matter, but a positive option to have nonetheless.
Elsewhere, Takashi Inui and Fabian Orellana will flank Jordan in the 4-2-3-1 system, with Orellana recently netting twice in the stunning home win over Sevilla. This is very much a side that is a sum of its parts, with each player giving everything they have got - no superstars as such, but plenty of talent and this is what you would describe as a banana skin test for Barcelona.
The big news as far as the two teams are concerned is that Philippe Coutinho is only among the subs for Barcelona this afternoon, despite being ineligible to feature against Chelsea in the Champions League next week. Andres Iniesta is instead tasked with providing the attacking ammunition from deep, while Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez continue their blossoming partnership up top.
Eibar head into this match sitting seventh in the La Liga standings, two points behind Villarreal in the final European berth and now four behind Sevilla in fifth. Los Rojiblancos played a little earlier, overcoming Las Palmas 2-1 in the Canary Islands through goals from Wissam Ben Yedder and Pablo Sarabia. Still, Los Armeros will be confident that they can keep within touching distance of Sevilla in the coming weeks.
It is worth pointing out that the town of Eibar has a population 25 times smaller than Sevilla, and their ground can only hold just over 7,000 supporters, so their 5-1 win over the La Liga big boys a couple of weeks back really sent shockwaves through the division. Momentum is very much on the side of Mendilibar's men, having followed up that thumping victory with three more points away at Leganes last time out.
Eibar may not have scored five goals at Eibar last weekend, but the way they managed to grind out a 1-0 win was equally as impressive in many ways. Ivan Ramis scored the only goal of the game late on, ensuring that the European chasers remain very much in the hunt for a place in the top six. While victory may seem unlikely today against the division's best side, there is still a chance of prolonging this momentum.
Four games unbeaten has certainly helped keep that momentum going into this game, while further back it is just the one defeat in 12, that coming at home to Atletico Madrid on January 13. The race for the top six is incredibly tight at this point, with Sevilla on 39 points after playing a game more than Villarreal, who are on 37, and Eibar, who are on 35. It really can all change as each matchday passes.
There are just five points between Getafe in 11th and Eibar in seventh, meanwhile, so a couple of losses on the spin and all of a sudden Los Armeros could well be in the bottom half of the division. Supporters will not want to consider that scenario, though - they are dreaming of a place in Europe next season, and should they pick up a positive result today then nobody would seriously bet against them achieving the unlikely feat.
This marks the start of a big fortnight for Eibar, in fact, as they also face Celta Vigo and Villarreal up next - two teams that they are in direct competition with in the race for a top-six finish. Today's match will not tell us anything we do not already know about Los Armeros, of course, as they have proved on plenty of occasions that they are a serious force, though they would love to keep that momentum going ahead of big games before the end of February.
DID YOU KNOW? Today's game marks Jose Luis Mendilibar's 100th in charge of Eibar in La Liga. The man at the Ipurua helm has won 36, drawn 24 and lost 39 of those previous games, which is a very impressive record in context. Mendilibar has a less impressive record when it comes to games against Barcelona, though, winning just one of 16 - a 3-2 triumph with Osasuna in 2012.
Barcelona, with Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti back in the heart of defence today, face a potential banana skin this afternoon as they take on an Eibar side with just one defeat in 12 La Liga outings to their name. Two wins in a row, including a thumping 5-1 victory over Sevilla here last time out, has them in the mix for a top-six finish and they will look to extend that positive run further today.
Barcelona may have drawn their last two matches but they are still seven points clear at the top of the division, with Atletico Madrid now the only real threat to their hopes of snatching the title back from Real Madrid. The Catalans remain unbeaten after 23 La Liga matches, winning 18 of those, and should they avoid defeat today they will equal the club's unbeaten record set by Pep Guardiola's side in 2011.
Yet taking just two points from six has allowed Atletico to capitalise, ensuring that the title race is not quite done and dusted just yet. Credit to Atleti for grinding out narrow wins in trademark fashion of late and, while it seems unlikely that they will be able to make up the seven-point deficit, it does at least mean that Barca have to name pretty much their strongest XI for this game.
Atletico have won five of their last six matches, three of which have come by a 1-0 scoreline - as efficient as you like, particularly last week when scoring inside the first minute and then seeing things through. Barca play host to Los Rojiblancos on March 4, so if the gap is reduced any further we will have a potential classic on our hands at Camp Nou. Plenty of football to be played before then, though!
Those aforementioned draws came against Espanyol and Getafe, with the latter proving to be the first time Barca have failed to find the net this term. Prior to that Valverde's charges had racked up seven victories on the spin, though, and they can therefore afford this blip - if you can really call it that at this stage. Barca also have a favourable run of fixtures leading to that Atleti match next month.
Barca are also through to the final of the Copa del Rey, where they will face Sevilla in April to possibly continue their domination of the competition in recent years, and there is the small matter of a Champions League last-16 double-header against Chelsea to look forward to. That fixture has provided some real classics down the years - fingers crossed for another.
League matters take priority today, however, and Barca will be looking to build on a record that has seen them win nine and draw three of their 12 away matches so far this season. That run includes a 1-1 draw at rivals Espanyol last time out, and they have not really thumped any sides on their travels other than Real Betis (5-0), so Valverde would no doubt take a scrappy 1-0 win today if offered to him.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Eibar have lost all seven of their La Liga meetings with Barcelona, conceding 26 goals in the process at a rate of 3.7 per game and themselves scoring in just four of them. Barca ran out comfortable 6-1 winners at Camp Nou in the reverse fixture five months ago, with Lionel Messi netting four to take his tally to 12 in six against today's opponents.
With kickoff at the Estadio Ipurua now less than 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Jose Luis Mendilibar: "Against opposition like them there's no formula to it, the key is for us to just be ourselves, be assured and not have any doubts about what we have to go out there and do. We're feeling good, we're enjoying one of our best spells of the season and we've been performing pretty well and getting good results for a couple of months now. We know what we're coming up against. Even if we perform very well, it'll all depend on how they play. They're a very good side, one of the best around, with some really fine players and a great coach."
Ernesto Valverde: "It is more mental than physical, the weeks when you have four days rest you can manage better than three. We will have three before we take on Chelsea and Chelsea will have four. That day extra, to have a break from the pressure of staying in the cup is good to have. But in terms of important games, the one tomorrow is also and we are not thinking about Chelsea. The week was free and now we have games again after each other. We need to get going again and after the Getafe game this is now even more important."
Mendilibar basically admitting that there is no right way or wrong way to approach this game. It will be interesting to see whether the home side take a defensive approach this afternoon in the hope of snatching a goalless draw like Getafe last week, though the way they are set out - and the emphatic nature of their display against Sevilla recently - suggests that they will instead look to get at the opposition.
Much of Valverde's pre-match presser was dominated by talk of next week's last-16 first-leg clash against Chelsea in the Champions League, understandably, in what is one of the picks of the round. The Barca boss points out that his players have one day less to rest compared to the Blues, making his decision not to use Coutinho from the off this afternoon all the more bizarre. Perhaps a minor injury is to blame for that decision.
Both sets of players are now making their way out onto the field at the Estadio Ipurua. Barcelona have taken just two points from the last six on offer and this is probably not the type of game they would have wanted so close to a huge showdown with Chelsea, as Eibar have wind in their sails and will put up an almighty fight in front of their home supporters. Kickoff now just moments away...
KICKOFF! At the second attempt, we are officially up and running in the Basque Country. Barca, sporting their third kit this afternoon, are already on the back foot with Jose Angel Valdes heading a good chance over the bar.
Only 7,000 fans fit into this ground but they are about to witness a classic - I can sense it! A good chance went begging in the opening minute for the hosts and they have not dropped off, really looking to get in their opponents' faces.
Action-packed game already here, as Suarez is played through. For some reason, the striker does not look at the goal once but instead for Messi, and once the ball is finally laid off the shot was blocked. Eibar break and Orellana shoots over.
SAVE! Kike with the first shot on target of the match, which Ter Stegen got down to keep out. Angle was against the striker so simply testing the Barca stopper was the best he could hope for really. Bright start by the home side.
It was Jordi Alba who had that shot blocked inside the box a few minutes ago, rather than Messi. Suarez bizarrely looked for the pass rather than tucking the ball home after rounding a stranded Marko Dmitrovic. Both teams wasting a good chance.
Alba not at all happy after being flagged for offside - the official did appear to get it right, though. Had the full-back timed his running better then Barca basically would have had a three-on-one attack in behind. Such an open match so far.
SAVE! Orellana with a shot inside the box that deflected wide of the goal - could have gone anywhere. From the corner, Ivan Ramis leapt highest and nodded the ball downwards, but Ter Stegen was well positioned to collect.
Not an awful lot between the two sides at this stage in the match. Eibar's best chance came inside the opening minute when a headed opening was wasted, while Barca also should have opened the scoring when Suarez got in behind but passed rather than shooting.
GOAL! EIBAR 0-1 BARCELONA (LUIS SUAREZ)
Slightly against the run of play, Barcelona take the lead at the Estadio Ipurua through Luis Suarez. Messi with a truly exquisite through-ball to take two opposition defenders out of the game, allowing Suarez to round Dmitrovic and this time tuck it home.
Brilliant link-up play between Messi and Suarez for that opener, which will be a real blow for Mendilibar as his side had just about edged the opening 16 minutes or so of the game. Messi wiggles past two but cannot get on the end of the ball.
OFF THE BAR! Orellana with a wonderful attempt, sending the ball dipping in the air and against the crossbar. Ter Stegen was beaten, unable to get anything to the ball as it sailed over his head. So close to a leveller!
Nice play from Barca, culminating in Rakitic being played into some space down the right. The Croatian midfielder sent a cross into the box and Dmitrovic had to get down to collect. Up the other end Umtiti stood his ground to block Orellana's run.
Eibar still looking lively when they get on the ball in advanced positions and you would expect them to score this afternoon. Valverde's men will therefore require a second if they are to avoid two successive draws becoming three.
Barca's defenders being given a serious test this afternoon, as predicted by many. Credit to Eibar for not taking their foot off the gas, which in turn is restricting the amount of time the likes of Messi and Suarez have on the ball.
SHOT! Always strange to see Barcelona play second-fiddle when it comes to possession of the ball, but that is very much the case in the opening half an hour here. Jordan played into acres of space on the edge of the box, only to drag his shot wide of the post.
SAVE! Nice play from Barca, who are having to make the most of their spells on the ball in advanced positions. A good cross into the centre, but Paulinho could only send his header down the middle for Dmitrovic to comfortably collect.
Half time now fast approaching and Barca still in front thanks to that Suarez strike 16 minutes in. It has been a lively game, with Kike just sending a shot wide when he had teammates better positioned either side of him - real disappointment.
OFF THE POST! Suarez rounds the opposition keeper for the third time in this first half and this time picks out Messi, whose shot towards an unguarded goal came back off the post. Certainly not an easy one as there were two defenders covering.
Battling Eibar winning their fair share of corners in the first half of this entertaining clash in the Basque Country. Not really made the most of them, though, with this latest one being cleared away by the La Liga pacesetters.
Messi with yet another sublime through-ball - how on earth he manages to send the ball through such small gaps I don't quite know. Alba profited from the latest pass, but his shot was kept out by Dmitrovic and the offside flag soon went up anyway.
A few minutes of normal time left to play at the Estadio Ipurua before the half-time whistle sounds. We have seen plenty of attacking action in the opening 42 minutes, with Suarez's goal after rounding the keeper proving the difference so far.
Eibar the side knocking on the door for the game's second goal, without being able to test Ter Stegen. Home boss Mendilibar will be more than happy with the first-half display of his side and will argue that they should probably be level.
HALF TIME: EIBAR 0-1 BARCELONA
The half-time whistle sounds and it is Barcelona who take a slender lead into the break, courtesy of Luis Suarez's 16th-minute goal. That strike came against the run of play, as Eibar made the brighter start and have also looked lively since going behind.
Beaten just once in their last 12 league outings and fresh on the back of a 5-1 win against Sevilla here in their last home outing, Eibar were always expected to give Barca a run for their money. That proved to be the case in the opening 15 minutes of the match, as Jose Angel Valdes nodded a good chance over the bar and Kike tested Marc-Andre ter Stegen down low.
Ivan Ramis then sent a headed effort down the middle for Ter Stegen to collect, before Barca opened up their European-chasing opponents to open the scoring against the run of play. An exquisite through-ball from Lionel Messi gave Luis Suarez the chance to round Marko Dmitrovic and tuck the ball over the line for goal number 17 of the La Liga campaign.
Fabian Orellana, responsible for two of the goals in the win over Sevilla, came closest to a first-half response when sending a side-footed shot dipping over Ter Stegen and back against the crossbar. Chances at either end then went begging for Joan Jordan and Paulinho, the latter at least managing to test Dmitrovic, as both sides continued to plug away.
Messi squandered a big opportunity to add a killer second before the break, sending Suarez's cutback against the post with two covering defenders on the line to beat. Plenty of encouragement in that first half for Mendilibar, then, but will he change things around at the midway point?
EIBAR SUBS: Riesgo, Escalante, Capa, Charles, Alejo, Leon, Lomban
BARCELONA SUBS: Cillessen, Semedo, Dembele, Coutinho, Digne, Aleix Vidal, Yerry Mina
RESTART! We are back under way at the Estadio Ipurua, where the hosts have made an enforced change. Injured centre-back Ivan Ramis has been replaced by David Lomban, who has previously spent time in Barca's second-string side.
YELLOW CARD! Iniesta knew exactly what he was doing when stepping across Diop to halt the midfielder's gliding run through midfield. The Spain international was rightly shown the game's first yellow card for his troubles.
A first-time ball from Messi is latched on to by Paulinho, who headed the ball in front of him but could not get a shot away as he was forced wide. Eibar not really got going so far in the second half of this Spanish top-flight encounter.
Umtiti fell asleep on the ball and was dispossessed, but fortunately for him Eibar could not make the most of it. The centre-back clearly unhappy with his keeper for not getting a shout. Suarez skies over the bar up the other end.
The home side continuing to probe away in search for a leveller; a leveller that many will argue is warranted. Valverde will know that just the one goal may well not be enough to get his side over the line with all three points.
Not really seen any attempts in the opening 11 minutes of the second half. Valverde may be tempted to turn to Coutinho shortly, with the Brazilian playmaker - ineligible to face Chelsea next week - available among the subs today.
CHANCE! Best chance of the second half so far by quite some distance, as Orellana once again tears Barca apart and manages to pick out Takashi Inui with a nice pass. Inui's shot was lacking, though, and he could not even test Ter Stegen from 12 yards.
YELLOW CARD! Orellana has been superb this afternoon, as he was against Sevilla recently, but this was a nasty tackle on Iniesta that was worthy of at least a yellow. Los Armeros the side in control of this match at the moment.
Barca looking on course to match their unbeaten club record in La Liga, then, unless Eibar can pull something out of the bag. The Catalans have not really looked like adding to their one-goal lead in the 17 minutes of the second half.
BARCELONA SUB! Here comes that change that many would have predicted - Iniesta replaced by Coutinho in a like-for-like swap in the middle of the park. Barca have lacked creativity for large parts of this second period.
RED CARD! A major blow to Eibar's hopes of snatching an equaliser, having lost star man Orellana to a second yellow card. Mendilibar is absolutely fuming as the midfielder picks up the second yellow for seemingly kicking the ball away.
All starting to boil over here, with Mendilibar furious about something on the touchline. No idea what he saw that riled him so much - might relate to a wrong offside call - but the referee has just sent him to the stands. Not great for Eibar.
A goal down, a man down and without their manager on the touchline - Eibar have their work seriously cut out now. Yet it still remains just 1-0, and the home side have certainly showed that they have it in them to cause danger when on the ball.
Not been the most entertaining second halves in terms of goalmouth action, but this has still been a gripping contest due to its tight nature. Barca boss Valverde looks to be readying a second change, with Aleix Vidal currently stripping down.
SUBS! Escalante is on for Diop and Vidal replaces Paulinho as both managers turn to their bench. One more change available for both to use should they wish, as we enter the final 16 minutes or so of the contest in the Basque Country.
Zero attempts on target from either side in the second half. Barca have been under less pressure since their opponents were reduced to 10 men, though even with key creator Orellana on the pitch shots were few and far between.
SAVES! You wait for a shot on target all half... Moments after Messi was denied by Dmitrovic at one end, Takashi Inui tested Ter Stegen at the other. Both keepers favourites to make the saves, with this match still not yet over.
Barca not quite at their best today but this will be a huge victory if they can see through the remaining 10 minutes. A quick update on the foul count - Eibar have committed 12 to their opponents' four. Can the hosts muster a late goal?
Big block from Pique to prevent Inui from finding a way through. Tell you what, this is set up perfectly for a grandstand finish - Eibar putting their opponents under serious pressure now and are beginning to turn the screw. No supporters leaving early.
Barca just having to continue plugging away not, with the finishing side in their sights. Valverde looking a little apprehensive down on the sidelines; home boss Mendilibar is nowhere to be seen as he is somewhere in the stands.
The visitors' turn to turn the screw now as they enjoy some sustained possession of the ball. Messi has not really been able to thread balls through as often as he did in the first half, but he more than anyone has the ability to turn on the style when he wants.
GOAL! EIBAR 0-2 BARCELONA (JORDI ALBA)
That should do it! Jordi Alba finds a way through for Barca's second goal of the evening, surely earning them all three points in the Basque Country. Alba slotted the ball between defender and post after Messi's close-range shot was saved.
A brave effort from Eibar, then, but they will take zero points from this fixture. Going down to 10 men seriously dented their hopes, and that second goal of the afternoon, provided by full-back Alba, has got Barcelona over the line.
FULL TIME: EIBAR 0-2 BARCELONA
Barcelona see through the remaining minutes with relative ease - Ter Stegen did have one rare save to make late on - to move 10 points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga. A hard-fought victory in the end, coming against an Eibar side reduced to 10 men for the final 25 minutes or so.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at the Estadio Ipurua. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the evening kickoff between Huddersfield Town and Manchester United in the English FA Cup can be found here. Thanks for joining!
