Barcelona travel to the Estadio Gran Canaria on Saturday, hoping to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the Spanish league table.
Luis Enrique will have half an eye on his side’s midweek Champions League tie against Arsenal, but his main priority right now will be to pick up all three points at relegation-threatened Las Palmas, and stretch Barcelona’s winning streak in La Liga to eight games.
Las Palmas, on the other hand, are in a relegation fight and will look to make the best of the few opportunities they get against the Catalan giants on Saturday. Los Amarillos posed quite a stiff challenge to Barcelona when they met earlier this season, and Enrique’s men only managed to win the match with the help of a brace from Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
Lineups
Las Palmas
Probable Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Varas; Garrido, Bigas, Aythami, Garcia; Roque, Valeron; Viera, Tana, Zhar; Jose.
Barcelona
Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Bravo; Alba, Vermaelen, Mascherano, Alves; Turan, Roberto, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi.
Key Stats
- Las Palmas have conceded nine goals in their last five matches in all competitions.
- Meanwhile, Barcelona have scored 19 goals in their last five matches in all competitions.
- The Catalans(6) have scored more goals from set pieces than Las Palmas (4) this season.
- On average, Barcelona play more short passes per game away from home (583), than at the Camp Nou (559).
- Las Palmas have not been able to defeat Barcelona in their last five matches in all competitions.
Prediction
Las Palmas 0-2 Barcelona
With the heavyweight midweek clash against Arsenal looming on the horizon, it is difficult to see Luis Enrique’s side going full throttle against lowly Las Palmas on Saturday. However, with the MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) trio in white-hot form right now, the Catalans seem to have enough quality to comfortably beat their opponents.
Odds (Paddy Power)
Las Palmas: 12/1
Draw: 11/2
Barcelona: 1/5
