Las Palmas forward ready for Barcelona challenge: “They’re not going through their best moment”

Barcelona are set to lock horns against Las Palmas tomorrow, as the Catalan giants will be returning from a two-week Christmas break.

It goes without saying, the clash holds immense significance due to Barça’s position in the league standings.

Chasing Atletico Madrid, Girona, and Real Madrid in the league standings, Barcelona will be compelled to bag all three points. And it will be imperative to mark the first game of 2024 on a positive note.

Although Barcelona will not be facing off against their loanee Julian Araujo due to a fear clause, another familiar face will be stepping onto the pitch to add an intriguing layer to the encounter: Munir El Haddadi.

Munir left Barcelona for Sevilla back in 2019, but now plies his trade for Las Palmas, who are on the ascendancy in La Liga.

Munir in high spirits

The player will be playing against his former club, but aware of Barcelona’s recent troubles, he looks forward to the team playing its own style and coming out on top, especially with the game set to be hosted at the Gran Canaria Stadium.

Still, he acknowledged that the Catalan giants, on their day, can prove to be too difficult to overcome.

“We have our own style of play and we will try to cause damage as we know how. Barcelona is not going through its best moments, but you should not trust it at all. It is Barcelona in the end,” Munir exclaimed during an interview with Jijantes.

“We want to get the ball and put pressure on Barcelona and not leave them any space.”

The 28-year-old has been a regular face in the Las Palmas starting XI this season and has a good chance of featuring against Barcelona.

Munir looks back on time at Barcelona

Having emerged from the fabled Barcelona academy, Munir shed light on La Masia and how arduous it is to compete consistently at the top level.

“We know what La Masia is; very good players always come out. The difficult thing is to get to the top and stay at the top, and I think there are profiles that are achieving it or can achieve it. They have to continue like this,” he claimed.

Expressing that there is a stark difference in the team’s ideologies and way of preparing for games as compared to Barcelona, he argued:

“In Getafe, for example, you didn’t go out on the training field if you didn’t go to the gym first. It’s very good for prevention. When you leave Barça’s DNA, you have to adapt to new habits to improve.”

Munir left for Sevilla in 2019, but prior to his departure, he shared a locker room with some of the best players to have ever worn a Barcelona jersey, who helped him learn a great deal.

“I met Messi, Suárez, Neymar… I learned a lot from them, and they were incredible moments, but I think I had to live another adventure when I went to Seville,” he exclaimed.

Commenting on Barcelona’s loanee, Julian Araujo, Munir only had words of praise, as the youngster is enjoying a solid season under Garcia Pimienta’s mentorship.

“I didn’t know Julián Araujo, and I can tell you that he is a very good player; he is very young. He is very hungry to show, and he is doing very well,” he remarked.