La Liga leaders Barcelona will look to return to winning ways when they host UD Las Palmas, who are looking to stay out of the relegation zone.
17th-placed Las Palmas will be hoping to secure their fourth win of the season when they hit the road to square up against Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, who have been a bit inconsistent of late in La Liga and beyond.
The Catalan giants are on top of the table, with 34 points in their 14 outings. While they surely had an exceptional start to life under Flick, the home team have been winless in their last two league outings, and they will be eager to return to winning ways.
The Blaugrana did get things back on track with a 3-0 win over Brest in the UEFA Champions League and will look to build on that against Las Palmas in La Liga. The visitors are just two points above the drop zone. They have won three, drawn three and lost eight out of their 14 fixtures. The positive for them is that all three of their wins have come in their last five outings.
But, Las Palmas are heading into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 3-2 defeat at the hands of RCD Mallorca. Despite dominating the proceedings, they ended up on the losing side. They will be looking to cause an upset against the Catalan giants but it won’t be easy. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both the squads and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
The home team have a massive boost as Lamine Yamal is back in training and is expected to be involved in this fixture. Ferran Torres is also back in the mix, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, and Ansu Fati remain on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Marc Casado is suspended for this fixture.
Hansi Flick will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Inaki Pena will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde should be the full-backs, with Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez featuring in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, with Casado unavailable, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri should form the double pivot in the middle of the park. They will look to shield the back and control the tempo of the game.
Dani Olmo should return to his preferred number ten role, with Yamal taking charge on the right flank and Raphinha on the left flank. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski will continue to lead the line for Barcelona against UD Las Palmas.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Balde; de Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
UD Las Palmas
The visitors have no fresh injury concerns, which means they will once again have a fully fit squad to choose from. Diego Martinez will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation with Jasper Cillessen in goal.
Víctor Alvarez Rozada and Alex Munoz will be the full-backs, while Alex Suarez will partner Scott McKenna in the heart of the defence. Dario Essugo and Jose Campana will from the double pivot in midfield. They will look to protect the backline and ensure Barcelona midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Kirian Rodriguez will be the attacking midfielder, while Sandro Ramirez and Manu Fuster will feature on the flanks providing the width to their attacks. Finally, Fabio Silva, who slotted home a penalty last week, will continue to lead the line for Las Palmas against Barcelona.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Cillessen; Viti, Suarez, McKenna, Munoz; Essugo, Campana; Sandro, Kirian Rodriguez, Fuster; F Silva
Key Stats
- Las Palmas all three league wins of the new season have come in their last five outings.
- Diego Martinez has had quite an impact since being appointed the Las Palmas boss as he has won four out of his six outings.
- The Catalan giants last lost to Las Palmas back in February 1991. Their last league defeat came back in 1986.
- Barcelona have won each of their last five home league games this season.
- Las Palmas have lost five out of their seven away league games in the 2024/25 campaign.
Player to Watch
Lamine Yamal
While Yamal is only 17, he is already a key part of the Barcelona first team. His absence was quite evident in their last two La Liga outings as Barcelona ended up dropping points on both occasions.
With the Spanish international fit and available, Hansi Flick will hope he gets the job done against UD Las Palmas. Meanwhile, the teenage sensation will be eager to add to his tally of six goals and eight assists this weekend.
Prediction
Barcelona 3-1 UD Las Palmas
It has been over three decades since Las Palmas last defeated Barcelona in a league fixture, and that is unlikely to change this time around. Barcelona might have dropped points in their last two league outings, but they returned to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League and will look to build on that win. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-1 win for the home team.
