Barcelona vs Las Palmas

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys is the venue as Barcelona and Las Palmas go head-to-head in an exciting La Liga contest.

March’s international break impeded Barcelona’s momentum after a superb 3-0 victory at Atletico Madrid kept them within an eight-point distance of La Liga leaders Real Madrid while extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to ten games (W7, D3). Xavi Hernandez’s men will unlikely defend their domestic crown despite not losing any of their last eight league outings (W6, D2). The focus remains on the Champions League quarter-finals, where the Catalans will face Paris Saint-Germain after a 4-2 aggregate win against Napoli in the round of 16. Maintaining momentum is crucial, and with Barcelona last losing a top-flight meeting with Las Palmas in February 1986 (W10, D5), they’re well-positioned to do just that. Adding to their confidence, the hosts have registered four clean sheets in the build-up to this encounter.

On the other hand, Las Palmas’ form has dwindled since a 2-0 home win against Valencia in mid-February, with no wins from their last five league games (D2, L3), plunging them into the bottom half of the standings. Visiting Catalonia amidst their joint-worst winless run this season paints a bleak picture for manager Garcia Pimienta, who bids to become the first Las Palmas boss to win a top-flight fixture at Barcelona since 1971 (D2, L17). However, the visitors will fancy their chances at Barca’s temporary home ground after only losing once on their last four La Liga travels (W1, D2). They must improve at the back to secure a fighting chance, having capitulated eight times in their two most recent away league games. But as they had conceded under 1.5 goals in 11 of their previous 12 such fixtures, they seem capable of pulling off an upset.