FC Barcelona will be eager to return to winning ways in La Liga when they host UD Las Palmas at Montjuic on Saturday afternoon. Following two winless matches against Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo, Barcelona’s lead at the top of the table has been reduced, with Real Madrid now closing in on them. However, Barcelona responded with a dominant 3-0 win over Brest in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week and will be looking to build on that momentum in tomorrow’s match against Diego Martinez’s side.
Barcelona will be buoyed by the return of star forward Lamine Yamal, who has recovered from injury, and Ferran Torres, who is back in training and could make it into the squad for the game. However, the team will be without Marc Casado due to suspension, while Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Ansu Fati will miss out due to injuries.
As for the lineup, coach Hansi Flick is expected to keep Inaki Pena in goal, with Wojciech Szczesny still waiting for his debut. In defense, concerns arose over Inigo Martinez’s fitness, but the veteran defender trained normally and is set to start alongside Pau Cubarsi in the heart of defense. Jules Kounde is expected to start at right-back, while Alejandro Balde will return to the left-back position, replacing Gerard Martin.
In midfield, Pedri, who delivered another stellar performance against Brest, is a guaranteed starter. With Marc Casado suspended, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Eric Garcia are competing for a place alongside Pedri in midfield, with Gavi likely to get the nod. Summer signing Dani Olmo, who scored against Brest, will continue in his role as the attacking midfielder.
Up front, Lamine Yamal’s return means he will likely start on the right wing, with Raphinha moving to the left. Robert Lewandowski will lead the line and aims to score his first La Liga goal against Las Palmas. Ferran Torres, Pablo Torre, and Pau Victor may be called upon from the bench in the latter stages of the match.
