Barça's umpteenth 'final' in Las Palmas to start 2024

The FC Barcelona will open his year this Thursday when it visit to the UD The Palms (21:30 hours), a corresponding duel to the day 19 of LaLiga EA Sports 2023/24. For this duel the team of Xavi Hernández will have to achieve the triumph under any circumstance, especially knowing already the result of the duels of Real Madrid and Girona, both with an advantage of seven points on the culés.

The Barça will arrive to the party with Vitor Roque like his big reinforcement of the winter, waiting in addition to what can attain or no with Aleix García or another mediocampista before 1 February. However, Xavi himself that has left clear in press conference that the club can not fill of pressure to the Brazilian forward from the first moment, although it confirmed his presence in front of the Canarian team, although his registration still has not done official in LaLiga.

Xavi has wanted to be very clear with what expects him to the Barça

The míster egarense equally wanted to leave clear that the Barça will not have a simple party in the closing of the first turn of a championship in which it seems that it will play a 'final' each week. "The Palms is one of the teams disclosure of the season. They are doing a grandísimo work. It will be a very difficult rival", ensured Xavi, leaving clear that the three points will not be an aim of transact in front of the ones of García Pepper, a trainer that knows to perfection the game of the group culé by his past in the entity.

The Catalan trainer also 'wetted' on the possibility that Vitor Roque and Robert Lewandowski can play together in the front of attack, "Yes, Vitor and Lewy can adapt and play together. There will be problem". Nevertheless, also it signalled that 'Tigrinho' will be a direct competition for the Polish forward and the other forwards of the Barça, by what expects an increase in the level of players like Ferran Torres or Joao Félix, trying not losing minutes in a moment very important of the season.

A party that has not produced in more than a polish

It is worthwhile to remember that the Barça will go back to confront to The Palms after almost six years after what went the descent of the Canarian group in the season 17/18. In that course the team culé finished with a tie to a goal in his duel like visitor, with a goal of Leo Messi to open the marker that day, although as last antecedent leaves a true negative environment for the culés to the not being able to leave two points on the way again in the Big Canarian.

Besides, the Catalan group will not go back to play by League surely until the next 21 January, when having commitments of Glass of Rey and Supercopa of Spain, by what a new 'trip' in the championship suspender belt for the ones of Xavi would mean to increase the pressure on the sportive project by at least two weeks more. This situation only could remain recessed with a title in Arabia by the Supercopa, something that the season occurred and of conclusive way in the final in front of the Real Madrid.

Begin the year of visitor, increasingly common for the Barça

It does not be necessary to forget equally that the party of this Thursday represents the first meeting of the new year for the culés, a commitment in which they will look for to follow the series of victories that began in 2021, when it imposed to the Huesca (0-1). Since, the first party of the year has resolved it always with victory: Mallorca (0-1) and Intercity (3-4), this last party by the Glass of the King 22/23.

The balance of the FC Barcelona in the inaugural parties of the last 25 years is of 16 victories (64%), 6 ties (24%) and 3 defeats (12%). Regarding his first parties Like visitor, from 1999, has opened the year 13 times out of his field, with a balance of 6 triumphs, 4 ties and 3 defeats, a lot of results that have arrived from 2016, when the Barcelona team began to open the new year far of his stadium, adding now his ninth consecutive duel in this context. The tropiezos have been four and have arrived with three ties (Espanyol, Celtic and Espanyol) and a defeat (Athletic).

Technical index card of the party: UD The Palms vs FC Barcelona

• Party: FC Barcelona vs UD The Palms
• Competition: LaLiga EA SPORTS
• Stadium: Stadium of Big Canarian (The Palms)
• Television: Thursday, 4 January 2024 from the 21:30 hours (9:30 PM CET)
• Calendar 2023-2024: LaLiga, Glass of Rey, Champions League and Supercopa of Spain.