Luis Enrique had to take some notes. The Spanish technician will face his former team in eleven days at the Parc des Princes in the quarter-finals of the Champions League to try to reach the last four of the competition for the first time since 2021. And he has certainly noted a few lessons during FC Barcelona's victory against Las Palmas this Saturday on their lawn (1-0).
For their last match before facing the Parisians, the Catalans made their task easier following the exclusion of goalkeeper Alvaro Valles, author of a very dangerous exit on Raphinha far from his goal, before the half hour of play ( 25th). However, Xavi's men, who gave way to his brother Oscar on the bench because of his suspension, had difficulty finding the fault. Very dominant, they were imprecise in the last gesture (14 shots, two on target) like Robert Lewandowski (35th) and Joao Félix (78th) who hit the uprights.
BOOM. pic.twitter.com/vIGtY1AuBd
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 30, 2024
Joao Félix lights up the stadium
Luis Enrique was certainly able to detect certain flaws in Barcelona's game. Uncomfortable facing the pressure of the promoted Canary Islands, the Blaugrana lost some dangerous balls in the middle. They were still able to overcome this problem thanks to the defensive solidity of their new jewel Pau Cubarsi (17 years old). They also struggled to make any difference in depth against the very high defense of their opponent in the evening and often found themselves offside, notably on the goal refused to Raphinha (19th).
Coming into play in the 68th minute in place of a disappointing Fermin Lopez, the Portuguese lit up the Montjuic stadium thanks to his ball handling and technical accuracy. Very available, he delivered an exceptional ladle behind the Las Palmas defense for Raphinha who adjusted Aaron with a header for the opener (59th). This victory without necessarily shining allows FC Barcelona to come back to five points behind Real Madrid in La Liga, which faces Athletic Bilbao on Sunday (9 p.m.). And gives Luis Enrique a hard time.