الأربعاء، 3 يناير 2024

Las Palmas vs Barça: Preview

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Valencia CF v FC Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports
Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

Barça kick off the new year with a tough road trip looking for a strong start to 2024

UD Las Palmas (10th, 25pts) vs FC Barcelona (4th, 38pts)*

*Standings at the time of writing

Competition/Round: 2023-24 La Liga, Matchday 19

Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Pedri, Gavi, Iñigo Martínez, Marcos Alonso (out)

Las Palmas Outs & Doubts: Julián Araujo (out), Alberto Moleiro, Fabio González (doubt)

Date/Time: Thursday, 9.30pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8.30pm GMT (UK), 3.30pm ET, 12.30pm PT (USA), 2am IST (India, Friday)

Venue: Estadio de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Referee: Pablo González Fuertes

VAR: Mario Melero López

How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), Viaplay Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar LaLiga (Spain), others

How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others

Following a much-needed holiday break and a week of training in beautiful Catalonia, Barcelona begin a new year with the first La Liga match of 2024 as they reach the halfway mark of the season with an away game against Las Palmas at the Estadio de Gran Canaria on Thursday Night Fútbol.

Barça come into this one looking to rebound from a tough December, which ended in a victory against Almería but was filled with bad results and even worse performances in the league and in Europe. The Blaugrana continue to deal with key injuries and are about to enter a brutal stretch in what is always a busy and difficult Janury schedule in Spain, but the Catalans are hoping that the time off over Christmas was enough to recharge the batteries and get away from the negativity to begin anew with the flip of the calendar.

Xavi Hernández has six giant months ahead as he looks to keep his job ahead of next season, and with Barça still competing in all fronts the boss will hope to lead his troops to success domestically and in continental play. Trophies are always the hope but reality sometimes offers other paths, but as long as Barça truly compete and show real improvement and progress there will be enough signs that Xavi can still be in charge of this rebuild.

The coach gets a big boost with the arrival of Vitor Roque, who brings youthful energy and scoring talent to a team in desperate need of it, and the Brazilian has already been registered and ready to make his debut. He won’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders, at least from those on the inside, but it would sure be nice if he had an immediate impact even if means providing Robert Lewandowski with real competition to help him get back to his best.

Expecting one Christmas break and a week of training to fix all the problems is stupid and unrealistic, but it’s not unfair to expect to see at least some signs that things are headed in the right direction.

Las Palmas are the surprise package of the season, with a squad filled with journeymen and loan players that are playing great team football under the coaching brilliance of former Barça B manager García Pimienta.

They have the second-worst attack and the second-best defense in the league, but they don’t do it by parking the bus and hoping for a goal on set pieces. They want the ball and they know what to do with it, and their underlying numbers suggest they would be a much more productive attack with more talented players.

Las Palmas are quite simply a really good team, punching above their weight thanks to their fighting spirit and good coaching. They’ve lost only once at home, and every big team that’s played them were given a real game. They want to make Barça “suffer”, by García Pimienta’s own words, and they will absolutely test the Blaugrana from start to finish.

If Barça have gotten better at all since we’ve last seen them, they should win what will probably be a low-scoring, tough game. But if the big problems with and without the ball haven’t been adressed, we could be in for another frustrating night.

After being thoroughly disgusted by recent performances and allowing that negativity to take over, I’ve decided to go back to Optimist Renato and I want to fully support and trust this team through all the ups and downs. New year, new me. Well, I don’t have a choice anyway. I love this damn club and I can’t do anything about it.

Let’s dance.

POSSIBLE LINEUPS

Barcelona (4-3-3): Peña; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Roberto, De Jong, Gündogan; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran

Las Palmas (4-3-3): Vallés; Suárez, Coco, Mármol, Cardona; Muñoz, Rodríguez, Loiodice; Park, Munir, Pejino

PREDICTION

Las Palmas are legit good, especially at home, but I have a feeling Barça will be hungry to erase the memory of December and start the new year on a high: 2-0 to the good guys and an encouraging performance.



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Loan watch: Pablo Torre shines as Girona beat Atleti thriller

By  5:02 م  No comments
Girona FC v Atletico Madrid - LaLiga EA Sports
Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images

What. A. Game!

Barcelona loanee Pablo Torre shone for Girona in a dramatic 4-3 win over Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Wednesday.

Torre has had to be patient since moving to Girona but is starting to have an impact with Michel’s high-flying men.

The youngster took just two minutes to tee up the opening goal of the game for Valery Fernandez with a neat pass.

Yet there was so much more to admire from Torre’s game. He looked full of confidence again an in-form Atletico side, consistently made himself available and looked a real talent once again.

A thriller of a game saw Alvaro Morata equalise for Atletico before Savio, who’s been linked with Barcelona, restored Girona’s lead. Daley Blind them made it 3-1 to Girona, but the hosts were pegged back thanks to two more goals from Morata.

Torre’s match ended on 67 minutes when he was withdrawn with a bit of discomfort. It was a sad way for the youngster to depart the match but doesn’t hide the fact this was a really positive step for the midfielder.

Of course the drama didn’t end there either though. Ivan Martin popped up in stoppage to bag a very late winner for Girona and maintain the team’s impressive start to the new campaign.



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FC Barcelona News: 3 January 2024

By  3:02 ص  No comments
FC Barcelona v Girona FC - LaLiga EA Sports
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

A round-up of the latest Barcelona news and rumors

Full focus on Las Palmas - FC Barcelona
The Barça players have had very little time to celebrate new year because they have a game right around the corner. They'll be at the Estadio Gran Canari, home of Unión Deportiva Las Palmas this Thursday at 9.30pm CET.

When and where to watch UD Las Palmas v FC Barcelona? - FC Barcelona
The first game of the new year is a Liga road trip to UD Las Palmas, and here's our guide to help you make sure you're able to see the game.

Vitor Roque to wear number 19 - FC Barcelona
Vitor Roque has been spending his first few days as a blaugrana in Barcelona and the Brazilian will be looking forward to his competitive debut in 2024. Meanwhile, "Tigrinho" now knows his shirt number for the rest of the season. The 18-year-old Brazilian striker will be wearing number 19.

Vitor Roque continues to explore his new home - FC Barcelona
Vitor Roque continues to find out what it means to sign for FC Barcelona. The Brazilian has only been in Catalonia for a few days and has already been put through his paces with his teammates during training sessions under his new coaching staff. He has also had the experience of being a blaugrana away from the pitch, and today this involved a visit to the Barça Café, the Barça Store and the Barça Immersive Tour.

Festive visit to children in Barcelona hospitals and care homes - FC Barcelona
layers from the FC Barcelona men's first team squad have visited different children's hospitals around Barcelona, and for the first time this year, also several children's care homes run by the Government of Catalonia.

Pedri: 'No return date yet, but soon' - FC Barcelona
Pedri is still recovering from his muscle issues. The Canary Islander played his last game in blaugrana on 12 December against Valencia. He is still working to get back to full fitness on his own, and the midfielder took time out to join streamer Ibai Llanos on his Twitch channel.



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How will Barça line up against Las Palmas?

By  1:02 ص  No comments
FC Barcelona Training Session
Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Barça begin the new year with a difficult road trip

After a much-needed holiday break to recharge the batteries and a few days of training in beautiful Catalonia, Barcelona kick off 2024 with their first La Liga match of the new year when they travel to the beautiful Canary Islands to face Las Palmas on Thursday night.

The Blaugrana had a very difficult December and hope that the time away to celebrate Christmas and the New Year gave players and coaches a chance to get away from all the negativity and focus on turning their fortunes around as we begin a new calendar year and enter the home stretch of the season.

As is always the case in Spain the schedule in January is brutal, and the Catalans have to navigate a difficult fixture list with a few key injuries to deal with while also trying to win every game, especially in the league as they try to stay alive in the title race. Las Palmas promise to be a very difficult test, but three points are crucial for the reigning champions in this one.

Here’s how we think Xavi Hernández will line up his troops for Thursday’s battle.

Defense

FC Barcelona v UD Almeria - LaLiga EA Sports Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Barça’s fortress at the back from last season is no longer that strong, with the defense conceding easy goals consistently and a few mental lapses from players who were virtually mistake-free last season. The attacking issues don’t help as they put a lot of pressure on the backline to win low-scoring games, but the simple truth is Barça don’t defend as well as they did a year ago.

Xavi is still trying to find a back four he can truly trust, and he’ll likely go with João Cancelo, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde for this one and hope that they are less prone to mistakes than they were in previous matches. Las Palmas are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league but can be dangerous on the counter, and the two attacking full-backs must be prepared to track back and help the two athletic center-backs so they don’t have to put out all the fires by themselves.

Midfield

FC Barcelona v Girona FC - LaLiga EA Sports Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images

Barça get a massive piece back for this one as Frenkie de Jong is available again after missing the final game of 2023 through suspension, and every game that the Dutchman misses makes it more and more evident just how important he is as the engine to Barça’s midfield and the man who usually starts every good attacking move the team makes.

Sergi Roberto is expected to retain his spot after a heroic effort against Almería and two huge goals in the second half for the captain and his teammates. Roberto has consistently been one of the few players displaying real passion and commitment to the cause, and if he’s able to string consecutive, consistent good performances together he could inspire the rest of the squad to bring the intensity from the start.

Ilkay Gündogan will complete the midfield trio, with Pedri not available for this one as he deals with yet another muscle injury.

Attack

FC Barcelona v UD Almeria - LaLiga EA Sports Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Barça may have scored three goals in their last game but the attacking players still left a lot to be desired, which is why the arrival of Vitor Roque brings a lot of hope. His youthful energy and natural scoring ability could be a big boost, but it’s unclear as of this writing if the Brazilian will be registered in time to make his debut against Las Palmas.

Even if he is available to play, Roque is likely to come off the bench and play a few minutes here and there, so Robert Lewandowski will once again lead the line with Raphinha and Ferran Torres likely to start on the wings on Thursday.

João Félix is expected to be dropped and not have as prominent a role as he’s played well below par for several weeks now, and the Portuguese will have to earn his spot again to play big minutes in big games.

Possible XI: Peña; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Roberto, De Jong, Gündogan; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran (4-3-3)

How do you think Barcelona should line up against Las Palmas? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!



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الثلاثاء، 2 يناير 2024

Pedri names the one player he would sign for Barcelona

By  8:03 م  No comments
Valencia CF v FC Barcelona - LaLiga EA Sports
Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

Guess who....

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has revealed he’d sign Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland if he could bring in any player to the Camp Nou.

The youngster was chatting with Ibai Llanos when he was asked who would be his dream signing for Xavi’s side.

Here’s what he had to say:

“I would sign Messi if he were 19 or 22 years old, but currently I would sign Haaland, he is a cyborg and scores a lot of goals. It is true that we have Lewandowski, but he is older, he will not be able to play until he is 60!”

Barcelona were regularly linked with a move for Haaland before he opted to leave Dortmund and move to Manchester City.

The Norwegian went on to win everything in his debut campaign with Pep Guardiola’s side, but there has already been speculation he could move on and that he does have a release clause in his contract.



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Barcelona named third most valuable club after Real Madrid and Manchester United

By  4:02 م  No comments
In this photo illustration a Forbes logo seen displayed on a...
Photo Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Forbes’s yearly list is out

FC Barcelona has been named the third most valuable club by Forbes, with rivals Real Madrid taking the first spot. Manchester United came in second.

Barcelona had a valuation of $5.51bn (£4.4bn), with Real Madrid valued at $6.07 billion (£4.9bn) and Manchester United valued at $6bn (£4.8bn).

The Catalans were ranked first in 2021 but different reasons have led to a slight drop in the rankings. Financial mismanagement plus the departures of star players, most notably Lionel Messi, have been factors.

Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal FC rounded out the top 10.



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Barca hope they can sign Aleix Garcia for €12m

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Real Betis v Girona FC - LaLiga EA Sports
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images

Interesting...

Barcelona are reportedly hopeful they can sign Aleix Garcia from Girona for less than the €20 million price tag that’s been widely mentioned.

Garcia has emerged as Barca’s top priority for January, although doubts remain as to whether the club can actually afford to do a deal.

Mundo Deportivo are now reporting that Barca think they could sign Garcia for €12m after finding out from Girona that his release clause is actually less than the figure that’s been reported.

The report also points out that Oriol Romeu’s original price was quoted as being €10m but Barca ended up paying just €3.8m for the midfielder.

Yet despite all of that it still looks a difficult deal for Barca to pull off even though Garcia has admitted he would like to play for Xavi’s side.

Girona’s president has said he doesn’t want to anyone to leave this winter, while Barca’s finances are still a mess after a €40m payment from Libero failed to arrive.



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