Gareth in Granada: Attending a Granada match
Written by Gareth Danaher
On a sunny Saturday afternoon Granada was hosting Club Deportivo Mirandés at Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes. Granada currently sit 8th in LaLiga2, the second division in Spain while Mirandés dropped to 4th after a scoreless draw against “The Nazaríes”.
The match itself had plenty of opportunities to present a goal but it wasn’t to be for either side. Granada had the lion's share of possession with 62% of it for the men in red & white. After the half time break Alessio Lisci’s men oozed on the pressure against Granada with shot after shot but Luca Zidane was able to keep “The Jabatos” from putting the ball into the goal. Despite both teams attacking well in the second half it was difficult see any significant chances for either side.
The boys in red & white will return to competition next Sunday, February 16, at 4:15 p.m., against SD Huesca in El Alcoraz. Now for the history lesson. Granada Club de Fútbol, known simply as Granada or Granada CF are playing in a European competition of any sort for the first time this season, and the 2019-20 season saw the second-highest league finish. The club ranks about 20th in the historic points table of Spanish football. While they are far from being a “big club” in Spain, they have a lovely stadium in an absolutely beautiful city, so football fans should definitely put Granada high on their must-s list.
Their nickname in Spanish is Nazaríes, or Nasrids in English. The Nasrid dynasty was the last Muslim dynasty to rule this part of southern Spain (the Iberian Peninsula), until 1492. It was they who built the area’s most famous attraction, the Alhambra Palace.
Image from Granada vs CD Mirandés. Credit: LaLiga
Brief history of Granada CF
The club was founded in 1931 and by the 40s was already in the top Spanish division, La Liga. They bounced around the divisions a bit, with a highlight being a trip to the 1959 final of Spain’s domestic cup, the Copa Del Rey, or King’s Cup — equivalent to England’s FA Cup. They lost that final to Barcelona, and they’ve only made the semi-finals twice since, including the 2019-20 season.
The golden years were the early 70s, when they twice finished 6th in the league, including in 1972 when they won nine of their last 10, including over Real Madrid and Barcelona. They spent much of the 90s in the third tier, and even some of the 2000s in the fourth, leading to financial troubles that almost sank the club in 2009. They solved this in an interesting way. The owners of Italian club Udinese bought a controlling share of Granada and effectively turned them into a development club, loaning players to them en masse and sending youth players over to get some experience.
This infusion of talent and cash led to a top-flight return in 2011, and in 2017 the Italians were bought out by a Chinese businessman. The 2019-20 season, when they finished seventh and thus earned their first European spot, would seem to imply the new ownership is working out.
Granada’s biggest rivals
Granada and Málaga, some 75 miles apart in Andalusia, contest the Derbi Andaluz, or the Derbi Oriental. In 86 meetings since 1933, it stands at 33 wins for Granada and 28 for Málaga with 25 draws.
The most high-profile meeting was the 1969 Copa del Rey quarterfinals, which Málaga won, 3-2, on aggregate. From 2011 to 2017 both were in La Liga, but with Málaga now in the second division, the last meeting was the 2020-21 Copa, which Granada won, 2-1 away, in the Round of 32.
How to get to Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes
C/ Pintor Manuel Maldonado s/n, 18007 Granada
Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes is located on the southern edge of the city of Granada, about 3 kilometres from the historic city centre and the Alhambra, and about 4.5 kilometres from Granada’s main railway station.
The stadium lies just north of the A-395 motorway, which connects with the A-44 further west, and is thus easily reached by car.
If using public transport, you can get to the stadium with bus 4. Either catch the bus at Avenida de la Constitucion (close to the railway station), or at the Calle Reyes Catolicos in the historic centre. Take the bus in the direction of Torre de la Polvora and get offat stop Pintor Maldonado right in front of the stadium.
Bus 10 connects the stadium with the western and northern parts of the city.
Getting tickets for Granada
Tickets for Granada games can be bought online , or at the ticket windows of Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes from a few days before the match.
If tickets remain available, these can also be bought on the gate on the day of the match, but Granada is one of the few Spanish clubs that sell out regularly.
Ticket prices depend on the opponent. Tickets for a typical match range in price from €35.00 for a seat at one of the ends to €65.00 for a seat at the main stand, but expect to pay more for the matches versus Barcelona and Madrid and less for the very low-profile matches.
Food & drink in the stadium
You can buy soft drinks, crips, sweets and what is famous in Spain at football matches is semillas de girasol which translates to sunflower seeds. There are bars outside the stadium that sell alcohol and tapas too. You can only buy alcohol free beer inside the stadium. One of the popular bars beside the stadium is Montimar.
When attending a Granada match it’s a must to try the local beer called Alhambra!
Granada club shop
Granada CF operates a remarkable four stores throughout the city in addition to their official online Tienda. with the main shop being located at Calle Recogidas 35.
Opening Times| Weekdays: 11.00 am – 1.30 pm and 5.30 pm – 8.00 pm