That is because Barcelona has spent the best part of this week looking to devise a plan that would allow the team to travel to Eibar—located in the Basque Country, 380 miles north of Barcelona—while avoiding the protests that have brought Catalonia to a standstill.

Political tension has been running high in the region since on Monday the Spanish supreme court jailed nine Catalan separatist leaders for their role in a failed bid for independence in 2017.

As clashes between protesters and police spilled over to the airport, authorities were forced to close El Prat airport on Monday, causing hundreds of flights to be cancelled.

Barcelona was originally scheduled to flight to Vitoria, but with a general strike threatening to shutdown the airport this weekend, it had faced severe disruption.

With coach Ernesto Valverde eager to avoid a six-hour, 380-mile to reach Eibar, the Catalans eventually opted to leave earlier than expected and flew to Vitoria on Thursday.

The protests have also forced the Spanish soccer federation to postpone the game between Barcelona and Real Madrid, which was scheduled for October 26 in Barcelona.

Earlier this week, La Liga asked for El Clasico to be switched to Madrid, with the reverse fixture to be played in Barcelona on March 1.

Together with the unstable political situation and the rescheduling of the game with Real Madrid, the confusion surrounding the travel arrangements has hardly been ideal preparation for Barcelona.

Returning to action on Saturday will provide a welcome distraction for the Blaugrana, who sit second in La Liga just two points off Real Madrid after winning their last three league games.

With Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez back to full fitness, Barcelona looked to have put a wobbly start to the season fully behind it by the time it arrived into the international break two weeks ago and it will hope to continue in the same vein this weekend.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Saturday.

When and where is the game?

Eibar hosts Barcelona at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium in Eibar, on Saturday, October 20, with kick-off scheduled for 1 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET).

The two teams have met 10 times, with Barcelona winning on nine occasion, while Eibar held the Blaugrana to a 2-2 draw in the final game of last season.

TV coverage

The game will be broadcast live on beIN SPORTS.

Live stream

A live stream will be available via beIN Sports website and beIN Sports’ digital platforms, as well as via fuboTV.

Form

Barcelona is second in the table with 16 points, two adrift of league leaders Real Madrid.

The reigning La Liga champions thrashed Sevilla 4-0 at home before the international break to make it three straight league wins.

Eibar, meanwhile, is 14th and extended its unbeaten run to four games with a 1-1 draw away against Real Betis.

Team news

Barcelona will be without Samuel Umtiti until the end of the month, while Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo and Ousmane Dembele are all suspended. The Catalans, however, could welcome back Junior Firpo, Jordi Alba and Carles Perez.

Odds

According to Oddschecker, Barcelona is a 53/100 favorite, while Eibar is a 5/1 underdog and the draw is at 71/20.