FC Barcelona vs. Las Palmas LIVE and ONLINE in the Camp Nou for matchday 18 of La Liga Santander.
FC Barcelona comes into this match with high spirits after advancing to the quarterfinals in the Copa del Rey, although they will face a tough competition at home where they have shown some inconsistency.
►Here's how the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey 2016-2017 will be played.
Five points behind the leader, Real Madrid, who has also played one less match, Barcelona cannot afford any more stumbles, especially at the Camp Nou, where they have already dropped 9 points this season.
Barcelona vs. Las Palmas: world schedules
COUNTRY | TIME | CHANNEL |
Peru | 10:15 am | ESPN 2 |
Colombia | 10:15 am | ESPN 2 |
Argentina | 12:15 pm | ESPN 2 |
Ecuador | 10:15 am | ESPN 2 |
Mexico | 10:15 am | ESPN 2 |
Spain | 4:15 pm | Antena 3 |
However, UD Las Palmas, the eighth-place team, will not be an easy rival for Barcelona. Last season, on the return of Las Palmas to La Liga, Barcelona had a tough time defeating them at the Camp Nou (2-1). In that match, which was resolved with a brace from Luis Suarez, Messi suffered a serious knee injury. Messi will now try to bounce back by scoring against Las Palmas, the only team in La Liga that he has never scored against.
The Argentine star has scored three amazing free kick goals in the last three matches, but against Athletic, Neymar and Suarez didn't leave him alone. The three members of the MSN hadn't scored in the same match since last September. However, FC Barcelona continues to struggle to display convincing play this season. The team, although not having defensive problems, concedes too easily, and the midfield still doesn't impose itself with authority like in previous campaigns.
Las Palmas will come to the Camp Nou after playing a great match last Tuesday at the Vicente Calderón, where they defeated Atlético Madrid 2-3, a prestigious victory but insufficient to advance in the Copa del Rey. The head coach of the yellow team, Quique Setién, fielded mostly substitute players in that match, and his intention is to return to his La Liga Santander starting lineup tomorrow, although some absences, particularly in the defensive line, will force him to change his plans. The statistics of the league matches between Barcelona and Las Palmas show a great superiority from the Catalans (27 wins in 32 matches), with 101 goals scored, although last season Barcelona won by a narrow 2-1 margin.
Barcelona vs. Las Palmas: probable lineups
FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Mascherano, Digne; Sergio Busquets, Iniesta, André Gomes; Messi, Luis Suárez, Neymar.
Las Palmas: Javi Varas; Míchel Macedo, David García, Lemos, Hélder Lopes; Roque Mesa; El Zhar, Tana, Vicente Gómez, Jonathan Viera; Prince Boateng.