FC Barcelona prepare themselves in order to face off against UD Las Palmas in La Liga. Their first official match back after the winter holidays, La Blaugrana will be eager to get a result. However, Barcelona are not the only ones out of the two teams hoping to prove their mettle.
In fact, Las Palmas and especially their coach, Garcia Pimienta, are excited to showcase their own worth. A team that has just arrived back in La Liga this season, Las Palmas have been gradually finding their footing. Currently sitting in ninth place, the side from the Canary Islands is no push-overs.
Pimienta himself, however, has a rather personal history with FC Barcelona. Formerly both a player and subsidiary coach for the Catalan giants, the current Las Palmas coach goes way back with Barcelona. As highlighted by SPORT, however, this also drives him to want a strong result against La Blaugrana.
Speaking about his opponent and former club from Catalonia, Pimienta was clear that Barcelona are still in the race for La Liga. He also highlighted that his team will need to show ambition in order to compete:
“Barça will surely fight for the title. We have to approach it with all the ambition in the world to try to win or at least secure a draw.”
“This group is magnificent. Training always has quality and maximum energy. We are recovering players like Fabio, who is getting back into it. These are progressive training sessions to arrive in the best conditions for the match against Barça.”
However, his goal remains to overcome FC Barcelona. In his own words, it would be a massive victory both literally and for what it would represent for him and Las Palmas:
“I would love to beat Barça for what it represents for the fans and the players.”
However, he did go on to say:
“…(But) We have to be realistic and know that our goal is survival. I insist that, for the fans and for ourselves, I would like to win this match. Because we are genuinely prepared and competing very well.”
Ultimately, Pimienta also remains clear about his team’s philosophy. Just as Xavi continues to work towards making his Barcelona play an attractive brand of football, Pimienta implements that same philosophy with Las Palmas:
“The face of UD Las Palmas has already been shown, competing against anyone. We may or may not win, but everyone will be proud of the way we compete.”
On the 4th of January, both sides will collide to decide the victor. Up until that point, however, Xavi continues to train his side non-stop. Fed up with the mistakes made in 2023, the Barcelona coach hopes to take his side into the new year with an additional sense of urgency to their game.
