La Liga: Las Palmas-Granada
I like the chances of Las Palmas to repeat last week's fine 4-2 road win against a troubled Valencia and record another high scoring win, this time on home soil. Both meetings with Granada last season produced five goals, with LP winning the home game 4-1 and losing to a more motivated host 3-2 late in the campaign (less than four months ago) when I wrote ..............
On paper, this looks a very good fixture for Granada, when fighting for survival, or a title/promotion, you cannot ask for any more than to face an opponent who has nothing to play for. That is Las Palamas, although it does have to be said that they have been in really good form for several months, collecting 25 points from their last 14 starts, compared to just 18 from their opening 21. That is a very pleasing first season in La Liga and you do get the feeling that it is perhaps time to ease off a little and I doubt that today, they can match the intensity of the home team. Granada are one point above the drop zone and after today, have to travel to visit Sevilla and then host Barcelona on the final day of the season. The timing of the first of those might not be bad, as it is all about the Europa League for Los Rojiblancos, but it is not easy to just win at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium and Granada really need the three points today. They beat Levante 5-1 in their last home start and battled hard in a 2-1 loss to highflying Celta on Monday and a combination of those two performances should see them home this evening. Granada have won four home games in 2016, beating Sevilla 2-1, the other three were all against direct relegation rivals and they scored ten goals in those and were as ruthless as at anytime this season and despite Las Palmas' current high standing, I am sure that the home side will view them as a similar level opponent.
The vistors do tend to raise their game for the more high profile games and they have lost all five previous away starts against bottom six teams with a 13-3 goal difference. Granada to win similarly and look for that two goal cushion and safety margin. The absence of home central defender Jean-Sylvain Babin is not ideal, but they beat Sevilla here in his absence. Granada are trying everything possible to get an edge for this game and there will be a two hour "party" inside and outside the stadium before kick off to get supporters, who were very influential in the big win over Levante, in the right mood.
All change at Granada, new Chinese owners and Isaac Success , Ruben Rochina and Youssef El Arabi have moved on, the trio scored 28 goals in a team who only managed 46 all season and they have not been replaced with like for like options, there are a lot of taented loanees and things will take time to get, having said that, there was plenty to like about a draw with Villarreal last week. They can play their part in an open encounter, but I do expect LP to win and Kevin-Prince Boateng (pictured) and Marko Livaja look good offensive additions for the home side and contributed three goals between them on their debut. A two goal win would take LP top of the table for a couple of hours at least and that is a great incentive (it might never happen again) for a club like them.
1.5 units Las Palmas -0.75 ball 2.17 asian line/Sportmarket.
1 unit "over" 2.75 goals 2.33 asian line/Sportmarket.
Good Luck.
