La Liga: The Little Tiger Has Arrived in Catalonia

UD Las Palmas vs Barcelona

The Spanish top flight is off to a strong start in the new year, as they feature multiple marquee-worthy matchups! There are new names to be excited for in La Liga, and Barcelona have acquired one of the most promising winter signings thus far!

The new kid in town is set to make his debut in La Liga against the promising Las Palmas, who are having a stellar campaign after their promotion to the big leagues.

There’s a lot of drama happening for Las Palmas and Barcelona on and off the field, and luckily for SBOTOP football fans, below is an in-depth preview of the upcoming tie between these outfits!

Talking Points

There’s a new No. 19 in Catalan!

Catalonia has a new No. 19, and he goes by the name of Victor Roque. The former Athletico Paranaense forward signed a seven-and-a-half-year deal to join the prestigious La Liga outfit with a €500 million release clause in his contract. That just goes to show how much Barcelona values the promising 18-year-old.

Xavi hopes that this signing will get them over the hump, as they’re currently showing pedestrian results, sitting fourth in the league table. With Roque, the needle could certainly move for Barcelona, and they are now poised for a more convincing title defence in the second half of the season.

Barcelona gave a brief statement exclaiming their excitement towards their new signing: “He’s here. Vitor Roque landed in Barcelona early on Wednesday morning and is enjoying his first few hours as a Barca player in the Catalan capital. The Brazilian striker, who is signing a contract until June 30, 2031, has a buyout clause set at 500 million euros.”

With this much hype, the young Brazilian has immediately felt tremendous pressure on his shoulders, but luckily for him, veterans like Lewandowski and Raphinha are committed to taking the young forward under their wing and making his start with Barcelona as comfortable as possible.

The Little Tiger will be in the spotlight and will definitely headline La Liga 2024 news as he makes his debut against Las Palmas.

Club legends that donned number 19 for Barcelona before Roque are Matheus (2020-21), Braithwaite (2020), Boateng (2019), Munir (2018-19), Digne (2016-18), Sandro (2015-16), Afellay (2013-14), Montoya (2012-13), Maxwell (2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12), Messi (2005-08), Navarro (2004-05), Dani (1999-2003), Kluivert (1998-99), Pizzi (1996-98) and Carreras (1995-96).

It can go either way for Las Palmas in the second half of the season

García Pimienta’s outfit had a promising first half of the La Liga season, given that the last time they competed in the top flight was back in the 2017-2018 campaign.

Surely, one of their biggest goals entering the season was to get as far away from the bottom of the league table as possible and try to avoid relegation, and to their credit, they did just that.

They look quite comfortable competing against the best teams Spain has to offer, as they finish the calendar year with a 7-4-7 record while having a goal difference of zero.

The recently promoted club has some key players that have been vital components to getting them where they are right now. One of which is the Las Palmas legend and captain, Jonathan Viera.

Unfortunately for the club and its fans, the ensuing drama between their captain, Viera, and their manager, Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta, took its last turn and ultimately ended with Viera’s departure from the club this winter.

“There is a problem with the coach, and that’s it. I don’t know what his problem is because he hasn’t explained it to me, I know what my problem is with him and that’s it, there’s nothing more,” Viera exclaimed.

Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta has been applauded for being one of the best managers in the top flight this season, bringing his newly promoted club 17 points clear of relegation after 18 games.

Now, it’s up to Pimienta and the rest of the team to continue their stellar run. The humble team from Gran Canaria is smack in the middle going into the 2024 calendar year, and it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll trend up or down in the league standings moving forward.

History

These clubs have only faced each other six times across all competitions since 2015. Among those matches, Barcelona have completely dominated against Las Palmas, winning all but one game. Their most recent clash back in 2018 was the closest Las Palmas got to a win against the Catalans, where they were able to end the match in a 1-1 draw.

In those past six bouts, Los Amarillos were only able to find the back of the net four times, whereas Barcelona went on a perpetual onslaught by scoring 17 goals, which is why my betting tip down below is what it is.

In recent form, Barcelona are sitting in the fourth spot of the league table and are tied with Atletico Madrid with 38 points. Their past five La Liga matches have been a little pedestrian compared to Girona and Real Madrid, who are currently at the top of the table.

Xavi’s outfit has won two of their last five top-flight outings and only lost once. That loss came against the steamrolling Girona, who went on a cake walk against Barca, leaving Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys with a 2-4 victory.

Meanwhile, Las Palmas are faring pretty well against Spain’s top teams, finishing the 2023 calendar year smack in the middle of the pack. By tallying 25 points, they’re comfortably placed in the 10th spot in the table, and it will be interesting to see where they trend in the second half of the season.

Betting Tip 

The mighty Catalans have the upper hand against Las Palmas, and the La Liga 2024 betting odds reflect it justly. Given where they are in the standings and their recent form, the visiting Barcelona are the heavy favourites at 1.52, which could be a little generous because of their recent 2-3 defeat during a friendly against Club America.

Meanwhile, SBOTOP priced the home team as the underdogs at 5.30 and 3.92 to tally a draw. Having had a decent campaign thus far, Las Palmas are justly priced where they are. They’ve been given a hefty task to defend their home turf against a club like Barcelona for their season opener, but their recent 1-0 loss against Bilbao indicates that they can keep up with the top clubs in La Liga at any given night.

My betting tip is Asian Handicap Barcelona -1.00 priced at 1.98 given that, as promising as Las Palmas are, the Catalans are evidently hungry to overtake Atletico in the third spot and continue to claw their way towards Girona and Real Madrid at the summit of the top flight.

 

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