Las Palmas vs Barcelona Odds & Preview
Barcelona Head to Gran Canaria
First La Liga Matchday of 2024
Newly-promoted Las Palmas have returned to La Liga and been in a bunch of defensive battles so far. The side from Gran Canaria have conceded just 15 goals through 18 matches heading into 2024. On Thursday, they’ll host Barcelona for the first time since 2018. Barcelona will try to become the first team to score two or more goals vs. Las Palmas since September. For what could be another low-scoring match, we’ll take a closer look at the Las Palmas vs Barcelona odds.
Las Palmas vs Barcelona
Date, time:
Location: Estadio Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Head-to-Head
Barcelona and Las Palmas last met almost six years ago. In that match, at Estadio Gran Canaria, the score was level, at 1-1. The La Liga scores in this fixture have most often favored Barcelona, as they’ve won five of the last six. Las Palmas’ last La Liga win over Barcelona was in 1986 and they’re winless in the last 14 La Liga fixtures.
Defense Paramount for Las Palmas
Las Palmas put up a fight at Athletic Club in their last match of 2023. However, Bilbao scored on a last-minute counter attack, which was the game’s only goal. Las Palmas had some decent chances in the match but goalkeeper Alvaro Valles kept the visitors in it. Valles currently has the second-best save percentage in the league and is a big reason why Las Palmas are in the top half of the table. The Islanders are currently in tenth place, with a 7-4-7 record and are 12 points ahead of the relegation zone.
Not too much was expected of Garcia Pimienta’s side upon their return to La Liga but they’re just a few points outside of a European place now. Defense has been the name of the game for Las Palmas, as they’ve conceded just 15 goals through 18 games. Only Real Madrid have conceded fewer goals than Las Palmas in La Liga this season. On the flip side, only Cadiz have scored fewer goals than Las Palmas this season.
Only three Las Palmas players have scored more than one goal this season. Leading scorer Kirian Rodriguez has been a key cog, as he’s also completed the most progressive passes on the team. Currently, the Las Palmas vs Barcelona odds price the hosts as one-goal underdogs for Thursday’s match. It looks like Alberto Moleiro will miss this one for Las Palmas, who have lost just one home match this season.
Barcelona Take Midseason Trip to USA
Barcelona’s 2023 finished in quite bizarre fashion. Barça took on Almeria in La Liga on December 20th and traveled to the United States to take on recent Liga MX champions Club America in a friendly the next day. In their final La Liga match of 2023, Barcelona grabbed a 3-2 win as an unlikely scorer found the net twice. Barcelona’s captain and longest-serving player Sergi Roberto isn’t exactly a regular starter. But, he made the most of his opportunity and nearly scored a hat trick vs. Almeria if not for the crossbar.
In the 3-2 friendly loss vs. Club America, Xavi rested most of his stars but some players who took on Almeria got on the pitch. It seems that Barcelona’s trip left them unscathed and they agreed to the logistical nightmare because the club needed the money. Barcelona might not be able to make any moves in the Winter transfer market and the defending champions are currently in fourth place in the La Liga Standings.
A couple of their young talents have missed a lot of time due to injury this season. Pedri is working his way back to fitness but Gavi is out for the season with a torn ACL. Defenders Iñigo Martinez and Marcos Alonso are also out, while goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is facing a spell on the sidelines until March. Iñaki Peña is deputizing in the meantime but he and Ronald Araujo got tangled up for Almeria’s second goal a couple weeks ago.
Match Analysis & Odds
This is a match Barcelona are expected to win but it has the makings of a trap game. Barcelona are coming off a relatively long Winter break and playing on the road vs. a hungry Las Palmas team. Currently, the Las Palmas vs Barcelona odds list the visitors as -180 favorites but anything can happen here.
Las Palmas are who they are and they’re going to try to limit Barcelona’s transition opportunities and put a decent number of men behind the ball. Barcelona haven’t exactly been lighting La Liga on fire with their goals this season and Robert Lewandowski hasn’t scored anywhere near his usual pace. The Polish legend has found the net just eight times in 16 games but he did provide an assist in Barça’s last match.
Bettors can take Las Palmas at +495 odds, while a draw comes in at +345. Las Palmas -1 sits at -115 and Barcelona +1 is priced at -105. Note that Las Palmas have only lost by more than a one-goal margin once all season and a close game certainly isn’t off the cards. Over 2.5, 3 goals show -112 odds but each of Las Palmas’ last six games have finished with two or fewer.
