Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Las Palmas | La Liga GW15 | OneFootball

Barcelona hammered three goals past Brest this midweek in the UEFA Champions League and now continue their run at Montjuic with a La Liga game against Las Palmas on Saturday.

With the team’s next three games being tricky away fixtures against Mallorca, Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund, tomorrow will be Barcelona’s final home game until mid-December and the team will look to keep their good form going.

Their opponents on the day, Las Palmas, have not been going strong this season and currently languish in 17th place in La Liga. They are just two points out of the relegation zone and a defeat could well see them in the bottom three.

Barcelona will thus enter the game as favourites a day after their 125th anniversary celebrations and there will be no better gift to the institution than a win from the first-division men’s team.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Las Palmas.

The X-factor returns

Barcelona stopped the bleeding with a win over Brest midweek after dropping points in two consecutive games and did away with the notion that they cannot win without Lamine Yamal.

Yet, there is no doubt that the team was significantly less potent in the final third without the Euro 2024 winner and that their poor record without him is no coincidence.

With his pace, trickery and agility, Yamal is Barcelona’s single-biggest difference maker in attack as he leads not only with the counter-attacking pace but also has the ability to break defences with a single pass.

The teenage sensation returns to the field after recovering from his injury tomorrow and Hansi Flick made it clear in his press conference that Yamal could even start against Las Palmas.

With the youngster back in the dynamics, Barcelona can finally return to their strongest attacking trident.

Raphinha will move back to the left wing with Dani Olmo shifting back to the attacking midfield centrally. Yamal will take his place on the right and complete the setup with Robert Lewandowski as the centre-forward.

Once the youngster is back on the field, one can instantly expect those around him to flower as well for the likes of Jules Kounde and Olmo, whose connection with Yamal is special, will again bloom.

A pivot-al decision

No Casado against Las Palmas. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Marc Casado’s sending-off was the pivotal moment in Barcelona’s clash against Celta Vigo that converted a win into a draw in a matter of minutes.

The Catalans were firmly in the lead and looked set to take three points when the youngster saw a second yellow card for an unnecessary challenge late in the game. After he was sent off, the team lost its stability in midfield and collapsed under pressure.

Tomorrow, Casado will serve his suspension and thus be unavailable for Flick’s side and the decision as to who will replace him becomes pivotal.

Casado’s grit and fighting spirit in the defensive midfield have become integral for Barcelona’s defensive stability this season, and only a player who can bring back that spirit can rightfully replace him in the lineup.

Despite having many options in his arsenal, Flick is thus likely to opt for Gavi to take Casado’s place especially after it is clear that the La Masia star is well and truly back from his injury.

Gavi and Pedri will likely line up in midfield with Olmo starting in front of them and thus look to fluctuate roles as they did in their last start together. For all practical purposes, however, Gavi will be the deeper placed.

Entrusted with another start, the game against Las Palmas will be a perfect opportunity for the youngster to get back his rhythm and push himself to contribute more. From a tactical standpoint, however, Flick can be reassured that Gavi will get the job done.

Time to get back on track

After two consecutive games dropping points in La Liga, Barcelona can no longer enjoy any liberty in the competition and the biggest talking point ahead of tomorrow’s game is around the importance of the result.

A hard-fought win over Real Madrid helped Barcelona establish a six-point lead at the top and placed them well in the title race. The team, however, undid everything in no time.

A defeat against Real Sociedad followed by a draw against Osasuna saw them give up five of the six points in their lead and they now are barely ahead of the men in white.

Four points currently separate them from their arch-rivals, but the Merengues have a game in hand and the virtual lead they enjoy is currently just one point. A win tomorrow, thus, is crucial.

Fresh off the 3-0 win over Brest in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona will be determined to turn their fortunes in La Liga and return to their winning ways. Dropping points again virtually equates to giving up the lead at the top of the table.