Vitor Roque might make his first-team debut for Barcelona against UD Las Palmas at the Gran Canaria Stadium on Thursday.
Barcelona will look to keep up with Real Madrid and Girona when they lock horns with UD Las Palmas at the Gran Canaria Stadium on Thursday night. And Xavi Hernandez can rely on a new arrival this midweek.
Vitor Roque is available after Barcelona successfully registered him in La Liga. The Brazilian attacker is part of the travelling squad to take on Las Palmas on Thursday. But Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inigo Martinez, Marcos Alonso, Gavi, and Pedri remain unavailable.
Xavi spoke about Vitor Roque’s inclusion during his pre-match press conference, speaking glowingly about the young striker. He said, “I’m counting on him, he’s still to be registered, I guess it’s a matter of hours. But I hope to have him in the squad.”
The Barcelona manager continued, “We don’t want to burden him with responsibility. He is very young, he has to adapt. He’s doing well, he’s eager and he’s adapted very quickly to the group and to training. But we will be cautious.”
Vitor Roque should make his Barcelona debut off the bench on Thursday. So, Robert Lewandowski, whose poor form has raised eyebrows, will spearhead the attack against Las Palmas. Joao Felix and Raphinha should accompany him in the final third, meaning Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal will be on the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Frenkie de Jong is available after serving a suspension in Barcelona’s last game of 2023. The Dutchman should return to the starting lineup on Thursday, replacing Fermin Lopez. Frenkie de Jong will accompany Ilkay Gundogan and the in-form Sergi Roberto in the middle of the park. So, Lopez and Oriol Romeu will be on the bench.
Meanwhile, the defensive quartet should also see a change. Jules Kounde will likely replace Andreas Christensen, pairing up with Ronald Araujo in the central defensive partnership. Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde will line up as the two full-backs. Finally, Inaki Pena will continue deputising for Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Pena; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Roberto, De Jong, Gundogan; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix
