90min

Barcelona predicted lineup vs Las Palmas - La Liga

  • Barcelona travel to the Canary Islands on Thursday night in their 2024 opener
  • Barca have slipped behind La Liga's leaders
  • Pedri, Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen among those absent at the start of the new year

By James Cormack

Xavi Hernandez's job security has come under scrutiny this season
Xavi Hernandez's job security has come under scrutiny this season / Alex Caparros/GettyImages
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Barcelona have ground to make up if they're to thrust themselves back into the La Liga title race.

Xavi's side endured a mixed start to 2023/24 and their inconsistency means they'll start 2024 adrift of Real Madrid and Girona at Spain's footballing summit. Injuries have certainly played a role in Barca's indifferent campaign thus far, and such issues haven't disappeared at the start of the new year.

A tough trip to Las Palmas is on the horizon for the champions, and here's what their starting lineup could look like for Thursday night's game.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs Las Palmas (4-3-3)

Sergi Roberto, Joao Cancelo, Lamine Yamal
Sergi Roberto was the hero in Barcelona's 3-2 win over Almeria which wrapped up 2023 / Eric Alonso/GettyImages

GK: Inaki Pena - Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains on the sidelines recovering from back surgery, leaving Pena to keep his place in the team for a little while yet.

RB: Joao Cancelo - The former Manchester City defender has been a prominent figure for Xavi this season. Only Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan have racked up more La Liga minutes for Barcelona than Cancelo (1,256).

CB: Ronald Araujo - Xavi hasn't found continuity in his backline so far this term, but Araujo is the best centre-back on the club's books.

CB: Andreas Christensen - Jules Kounde's sub-par end to 2023 saw him fall out of favour, and Christensen - typically a reliable figure - should partner Araujo against Las Palmas.

LB: Alejandro Balde - The left-back hasn't quite reached his 2022/23 levels this term, but he's a sure bet to start in Las Palmas with Marcos Alonso deciding to undergo back surgery.

CM: Frenkie de Jong - Xavi desperately missed the Dutchman when he was unavailable. De Jong aids Barca's ability to defend transitions, progress possession, and establish midfield control. He'll start on Thursday after missing the chaotic Almeria win.

CM: Ilkay Gundogan - Barca rather shamelessly took far too much credit for the 'best year' of Gundogan's life, as he captioned an Instagram post, but the German has been a critical figure in midfield since joining in the summer.

CM: Sergi Roberto - The Spaniard came back in from the cold against Almeria to end 2023 and proved to be Barca's hero in their 3-2 victory. With Pedri and Gavi out, Roberto deserves to keep his place in midfield.

RW: Raphinha - 2023 saw Lamine Yamal announce himself to the world, but Raphinha is still Xavi's preferred option down the right flank.

ST: Robert Lewandowski - The veteran forward has been wasteful as opposed to prolific this season, and the arrival of Vitor Roque will give him something to think about.

LW: Joao Felix - After a quick start, the issues that have plagued Felix's career since leaving Benfica have haunted the luxury forward in Catalonia. Ferran Torres is worthy of a start, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Felix continue in the side.

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