Barcelona, with good feelings and reach the Champions League tie with PSG in its best moment of the season. "We believe we can fight LaLiga. It is vital to win and put pressure on Madrid," said Xavi before the match.
The national team break has returned two starters for the Catalan team, defender Ronald Araújo and forward Robert Lewandowski, with minor discomfort, although both will be ready to play. Not so the defender Andreas Christensen, who could not attend the call with Denmark due to his Achilles tendon problems.
To cover his loss at the back, Xavi has brought in Senegalese centre-back from the reserve team Mika Faye to train the first team, who was on the squad list. But it will be Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez who will initially form the axis of the defense to dose Araújo.
Balde and midfielders Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Pedri remain absent from the Barça squad. Thus, with very little to choose from in the midfield, also due to Christensen's discomfort, Xavi opts, again for a midfield formed by Sergi Roberto, Ilkay Gündogan and Fermín López.
The FC Barcelona eleven: Ter Stegen; Koundé, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Cancelo; Sergi Roberto, Gündogan, Fermin; Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski.
Above, Raphinha will occupy the left wing and Lamine Yamal, who is experiencing a sweet moment after shining in Spain's friendly against Brazil at the Santiago Bernabéu, the right,
Despite the discomfort, Lewandowski will once again be the reference '9' with Vitor Roque again on the bench. But the good news for the Barça forward is that Ferran Torres is already training at full capacity. He was medically cleared and is ready to play.
Las Palmas' visit to Montjuic will be marked by the presence on the visiting bench of Francisco Javier García Pimienta, who returns to Barça after leaving the club with the arrival of Joan Laporta to the presidency. "I am a culé, Barça is the club of my life and I am very grateful," said García Pimienta, who spent 27 years at the club as a player and coach.
And he does it, also as one of the fashionable coaches of Spanish football, playing brilliant football that has allowed the Canary Islands team to achieve virtual permanence with a long distance from relegation, despite their recent bad streak of results: two draws and three defeats.
The island team has conceded 12 goals in its last five games, the same number as in the previous fifteen, which has blurred a trajectory that even invited it to dream of reaching sixth place in Europe. At the moment he is eleventh and, with 37 points, his permanence is virtually assured.
The duel has many attractions on the green, as the two teams with the highest possession of the ball in the League will face each other: 65 percent for Barça and 61 percent for Las Palmas. And there will also be several former players of the Barça team, such as Mika Mármol, Marc Cardona, Munir or Sandro,
The Mexican Julián Araújo will not be able to play in the yellow team for two reasons: he is on loan from Barcelona and a clause prevents it, but he has also returned injured from his recent participation with the Aztec team and could miss several more games for that reason. His position on the right side will be occupied by Álex Suárez, once Saúl Coco will reappear in the center of the defense after serving a suspension for accumulation of cards.
The Eleventh of Las Palmas: Alvaro Valles; Alex Suarez, Coconut, Mika Marble, Sergi Cardona; Loiodice, Javi Munoz, Kirian; Marvin, Sandro and Munir.
On the other hand, Alberto Moleiro will be available after recovering from some muscle discomfort that made him leave the Spanish under-21 team, although Pimienta could reserve the Tenerife native for the second half, who has always been linked as a possible signing for Barcelona, following Pedri's steps.
In the center of the field, with fixed positions for Javi Muñoz and Kirian Rodríguez, the doubt is in the third member. Between the Argentine Maxi Perrone, the Frenchman Enzo Loiodice and the Sevillian José Campaña, García Pimienta opted for the Frenchman.
