Reigning Champions Barcelona will start the new year with a trip to Gran Canaria for Thursday’s La Liga clash with Las Palmas.
The Catalan giants begin 2024 in fourth place in the league table, while their newly-promoted opponents occupy ninth position.
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Despite finishing 2023 with a defeat to Athletic Bilbao, Las Palmas will be pleased with their efforts in their first top-flight campaign since the 2017-18 season, having allayed fears of an immediate return to the second tier.
After winning seven, drawing four and losing seven of their 18 league matches, the team from Gran Canaria are just three points adrift of the top seven ahead of matchday 19.
While they are among the lowest scorers in the league with 15 goals, they have proven to be a tough team to break down, conceding just 15 times in La Liga this season – a record that can only be bettered by joint leaders Real Madrid.
As well as boasting a strong backline, Las Palmas tend to pick up points on home turf, having lost just one of their eight league matches at the Estadio de Gran Canaria this term.
Las Palmas have already beaten Atletico Madrid at home this season, but if they are to claim another victory over a top-four side on Thursday, they will need to beat Barcelona for the time since winning 1-0 in the first leg of a Copa del Rey tie in February 1991.
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Barcelona may have welcomed the short winter break after they dropped points in three of their final five La Liga outings of 2023 (D2, L1)
Having won 11, drawn five and lost two of their 18 La Liga games, the Catalan giants begin the new year seven points adrift of joint-leaders Real Madrid and Girona.
They may have rounded off the previous calendar year with a win, but they were made to work hard by winless Almeria, who fought back on two occasions before Sergi Roberto netted his second goal of the game to wrap up a narrow 3-2 home victory.
Xavi‘s side will now kick off 2024 with an away trip, and while they are one of two teams yet to lose a league game on their travels this season, five of their eight top-flight away matches have finished all square, including their last two La Liga road trips against Valencia and Rayo Vallecano.
Although they were held to a draw in their most recent meeting with Las Palmas in March 2018, Barcelona can draw inspiration from the fact that they recorded five consecutive head-to-head victories before they played out a 1-1 scoreline nearly six years ago.
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Las Palmas are without the injured Alvaro Lemos, while Fabio Gonzalez and Alberto Moleiro are both doubts due to ankle and shoulder problems.
Alex Suarez is expected to replace Barcelona loanee Julian Araujo on the right side of defence, with the Mexico international ineligible to face his parent club due to a clause in his loan agreement.
Defender Saul Coco is set to play his final game before joining up with the Equatorial Guinea squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
As for the visitors, Pedri will not be available to face his former side, with the midfielder continuing to recover from a muscle injury that forced him to miss the win over Almeria.
In addition to Pedri, Barcelona are also unable to call upon the services of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inigo Martinez, Marcos Alonso and Gavi.
Frenkie de Jong is set to return to the midfield following a one-match suspension, while Jules Kounde and Ferran Torres are also in contention to start Thursday’s contest.
Brazilian forward Vitor Roque, who has completed a move from Athletico Paranaense, could make his debut off the bench if all the necessary paperwork is completed in time for the trip to Gran Canaria.
Las Palmas possible starting lineup:
Valles; Suarez, Coco, Marmol, Cardona; Munoz, Perrone, Rodriguez; Park, Munir, Sandro
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Pena; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Roberto, De Jong, Gundogan; Raphinha, Torres, Lewandowski
Barcelona will know that they will have to be somewhere near their best to beat a Las Palmas side that has lost just one home league game this season.
With that said, we still believe that the Catalan giants have enough quality in their squad to claim a narrow win over the newly-promoted side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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