Barcelona will resume their La Liga campaign after the international break with a home fixture against mid-table Las Palmas.
A struggling Las Palmas, who have been winless in their last five league games, will hit the road to square up against Barcelona, who have been in fine form of late but are still unlikely to defend their league title.
The Catalan giants are currently second in La Liga with 64 points in their 29 outings. They are eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid with just nine games to go. Winning the league might not be in their hands anymore. but they will look to maintain their dominance.
The home team have been unbeaten in their last ten games in all competitions. They have won their last two league outings and are heading into this one on the back of a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Barcelona will be high on confidence, and stopping them will be a huge task for the visitors.
Las Palmas are 11th in the league on the back of a horror run in the recent past. They have lost three and drawn two out of their last five league games, and the international break did come to their rescue. It gave them a much-needed break and now they can restart from scratch.
Going up against Barcelona will not be easy given the kind of quality they have. And, the visitors’ recent record will do them no good. However, if they can pull off an upset here, their season could be back on track. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Xavi will be without the services of Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde for this fixture. Meanwhile, the availability of Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo is a major doubt after the duo missed their recent training.
But, Ferran Torres could be back in time for this fixture, and Robert Lewandowski is also expected to be fit despite concerns because of the knock that he picked up during the national break. Joao Cancelo, who missed their last outing against Atletico Madrid, is back in the mix and should start in this one.
The Catalan giants will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation, where Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Joao Cancelo will feature as the full-back. With Araujo and Christensen major doubts, Inigo Martinez should feature in the heart of the defence alongside Pau Cubarsi.
Ilkay Gundogan will feature in a holding role, while he will have Sergi Roberto and Fermin Lopez in his support. They will look to have the majority of the ball and control the tempo of this match. Raphinha and Lamine Yamal should feature on the flanks, while Robert Lewandowski will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Inigo Martinez, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Fermin Lopez, Gundogan, Roberto; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Las Palmas
The visitors will be without the services of Daley Sinkgraven, Cristian Herrera, and Julian Araujo. Meanwhile, Saul Coco is back after having served his suspension in their last outing.
Las Palmas will line up in a 4-5-1 formation, where Alvaro Valles will be in goal. The back four will be Alex Suarez, Saul Coco, Mika Marmol and Sergi Cardona. Coco and Marmo will feature in the heart of the defence, while Suarez and Cardona will be the full-backs.
Munir El Haddadi and Alberto Moleiro will feature out wide on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks and will also look to help out their full-backs when needed.
Kirian Rodriguez will start alongside Javier Munoz and Maximo Perrone in the centre of the park. The trio will look to ensure Barcelona midfielders do not end up dictating the pace of this game. Meanwhile, Sandro Ramirez will lead the line for Las Palmas against Barcelona.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Valles; A Suarez, Coco, Marmol, S Cardona; El Haddadi, Munoz, Perrone, K Rodriguez, Moleiro; Sandro
Key Stats
- Las Palmas have been winless in their last five league outings.
- Barcelona have been unbeaten in their last 10 matches across all competitions.
- Las Palmas suffered a 3-0 defeat last time when they squared up against Xavi’s team away from home.
- The Catalan giants won the reverse fixture 2-1.
- Barcelona’s all three defeats in the league have come in their own backyard.
Player to Watch
Lamine Yamal
16-year-old Yamal has been a revelation for Barcelona as well as Spain. During the international break, the teenager put up an incredible display against Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu. Xavi will hope that he carries on in a similar fashion and adds to his tally of 13 goal contributions.
Prediction
Barcelona 3-0 Las Palmas
Barcelona are expected to pick up from where they left off before the international break. Xavi Hernandez’s team have not lost since he announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
They are on a 10-game unbeaten run and will look to kick that run intact. And, with Las Palmas struggling in the recent past, one will back the Spanish giants to get the job done. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the home team.