After an up-and-down finish to 2023, Barcelona aim to start the new year on a high when they face Las Palmas on Thursday. Barcelona enter the matchup in fourth place, 10 points behind current La Liga leaders Real Madrid. The reigning champions have a ways to go before they can catch up to first place but have the chance to leapfrog third place Atletico Madrid with a point after their loss to Girona on Wednesday.
Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 4 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Gran Canaria -- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Las Palmas +400; Draw +340; Barcelona -175
Storylines
Barcelona finished 2023 on a rocky note and picked up just two wins in their last five games of the year. That stretch of games included a notable 2-0 win over Atleti as well as a 4-2 loss to second place Girona, and though the results differed, one trait has been a constant this season for Xavi's team -- a habit of being wasteful in attack. On their best days, Barcelona are able to notch a vast number of shots but struggle frequently to put them on target or even register quality strikes, which has seen them squander opportunities both in La Liga play and the Champions League.
Minus the notable absences who picked up long-term injuries several weeks ago like Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona will have many of their mainstays available to begin 2024. That includes Sergi Roberto and Joao Felix, each of whom have scored twice in the team's last five, as well as star forward Robert Lewandowski. The defensive effort will be just as important against Las Palmas since Barcelona have just one clean sheet in their last five matches and have conceded 10 goals during that stretch.
Prediction
Despite their problems, Barcelona have all the pieces in place to pick a routine victory over Las Palmas. The hosts have scored just 15 times in 18 games so do not pose the biggest attacking threat, and La Liga's reigning champions have enough going up top to give themselves an advantage. Pick: Las Palmas 0, Barcelona 2
