Barcelona vs Las Palmas Prediction: Back the home side to win both halves

Premier Sports 1 is the place to be to watch the early game in Spain on Saturday (13:00) as Las Palmas make the long trip to the Catalan capital to take on Barcelona.

Our Spanish football expert got the assignment for this one as he previews the action and puts up his two Best Bets in his Barcelona vs Las Palmas Predictions piece for us right here at Betfred Insights...

*You can check out all of the Football Odds we offer over at betfred.com

Having won 11 of their opening 12 in La Liga, including a 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu in El Clásico, there was talk of Barcelona potentially running away with the title race in Spain this season.   

However, having dropped points in each of their last two league games, the Catalans have a much reduced advantage at the top ahead of this Saturday’s visit of Las Palmas.  

Barça’s level has been extremely high during Hansi Flick’s reign to date, but there has unquestionably been a significant drop-off in their last two matches in La Liga. 

The first of those was a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad. While Robert Lewandowski’s controversially disallowed goal made the headlines, it was a flat display from the league leaders, who otherwise failed to have a shot on target in the game. 

A 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo followed that and while Marc Casadó’s red card was certainly a major turning point, Flick was quick to point out afterwards that the performance was not good enough, with the Galicians certainly worthy of getting a result from the game. 

We did see a much more complete Barcelona display in midweek, as they brushed aside Brest 3-0 in a confident manner in the Champions League. Lewandowski bagged a brace to take his season tally to an outstanding 22 goals in 19 club games. 

The Polish international has benefited from excellent service throughout, as the centre point of a settled attack that has also seen Raphinha and Lamine Yamal shine on the flanks. 

Things are a bit more complicated in midfield and Flick suddenly has some big decisions to make with Pedri, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Casadó seemingly competing for three places. It’s a nice problem to have in many respects, but there has been the sense that the balance hasn’t been quite right in midfield in the last two league matches. 

On paper, this serves up a good opportunity for Barça to get back to winning ways in La Liga. They face a Las Palmas side that started the campaign as the favourites for relegation and they are the only Spanish top flight club to have already made a managerial change. 

That switch came in early October, with Luis Carrión sacked after a winless start. Former Granada and Espanyol boss Diego Martínez was appointed as his successor, and the 43-year-old made an immediate impact. 

Las Palmas had gone 23 league games without a victory at that point, but Martínez guided his new side to a 3-2 win at Valencia in his first match. Girona and Rayo Vallecano have also since been defeated in La Liga, and it’s four wins from six in all competitions for the new boss. 

There is suddenly real belief again in Gran Canaria that a side that looked doomed to their fate only a couple of months ago, could end up beating the drop. However, some of the underlying stats, even during Martínez’s brief tenure, do still point to them being one of the weakest teams in La Liga. 

They’ve faced 63 shots in their three away league games since the change in the dugout, including 34 in a very fortuitous 3-1 win at Rayo Vallecano at the beginning of November. 

The Canary Islanders also head into this following their first major setback under Martínez. That came in the form of a 3-2 home defeat against Mallorca last weekend. 

Team News: 

There’s good news for Flick heading into this match with Lamine Yamal available again. The teenager’s absence has coincided with Barça’s dip in form, but the winger may not be rushed straight back into the eleven, with another league game to come at Mallorca on Tuesday. 

Some light rotation is possible here as a result, with experienced defender Iñigo Martínez one candidate for a rest after some muscular issues this week. Eric García could potentially rotate into the defence, while Alejandro Balde, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong could also come into the side, having only featured off the bench against Brest. 

Barcelona are still missing Marc-André ter Stegen, Ansu Fati, Ronald Araújo, Marc Bernal and Andreas Christensen due to injury. 

As for Las Palmas, they are missing three here, with Álex Muñoz, Pejiño and Daley Sinkgraven all sidelined due to injury. 

Muñoz’s injury will force Diego Martínez into at least one change, with Mika Marmol or Benito Ramírez expected to start at left-back. Young winger Alberto Moleiro, frequently his team’s most dangerous attacking player this term, could also return to the starting line-up.  

Barcelona vs Las Palmas Odds

Barcelona are the clear favourites at 1/7 heading into this match. The Draw is priced at 15/2, while you can back Las Palmas to record a surprise win at 14/1.  

The Catalan giants are averaging exactly three goals per game in La Liga this term. You can back them to score over 3.5 goals in this favourable fixture at 6/5, while Barcelona and Both teams to score is on offer at 11/10.  

Flick’s side are priced at 1/1 with a -2.00 Handicap, while Barcelona -3.00 Handicap is on offer at 11/5 if you’re expecting a very one-sided game. Alternatively, you can back the visitors to keep it close with Las Palmas +2.00 Handicap available at 7/4.  

You can back Lewandowski to continue his hot scoring streak, with the veteran striker available at 11/4 to score first, 1/2 to score anytime and 9/4 to score two or more goals.  

Raphinha is also available at 19/20 to score anytime, while you can back Dani Olmo to get on the scoresheet again at 6/5. From a visiting perspective, Fábio Silva is available at 16/5 to score anytime, while Alberto Moleiro is priced at 4/1.  

Bet 1 - Barcelona to win & Over 3.5 goals @ 8/11  

Tough trips to San Sebastian and Vigo have dented Barcelona’s title charge, but they look well capable of bouncing back here at home against one of the main relegation candidates.  

We saw a much more convincing display from Barça in midweek against Brest and they’ve been so impressive at home all season, winning all eight matches at the Estadi Olímpic in all competitions, scoring 30 times in the process. 

Up against a Las Palmas side that is scoring goals, but has the third-worst defensive record in La Liga, I’m backing Barcelona to win and Over 3.5 goals at 8/11. 

Bet 2 - Barcelona to win both halves @ 19/20 

The hosts will be keen to lay down a bit of a marker after those recent hiccups in La Liga with a convincing performance. They've tended to start very quickly at home, scoring inside the opening 15 minutes in each of their last three outings at the Estadi Olímpic. 

Up against a Las Palmas side with obvious defensive flaws, they should be capable of taking control of this game before the interval, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they pulled further clear after the break, particularly if Flick opts to use Lamine Yamal as a Second Half substitute which seems likely. 

With significant midfield depth at his disposal, the German will certainly have quality to bring on in central areas too, and I'm also going with Barcelona to win both halves at 19/20. 

Mark Sochon primarily covers Spanish Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out Mark's La Liga Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...