Barça to face newly promoted Granada, Las Palmas and Alavés in the 2023/24 season
Confirmation of the newly promoted sides that FC Barcelona will face in the 2023/24 season. Granada and UD Las Palmas were first to achieve the feat, with the Andalusian side coming up as champions. The last to qualify were Alavés, who beat Levante in the promotion playoff final thanks to a penalty awarded deep into added time of extra time in the second game.
Granada celebrate promotion at home for the first time
Granada have been promoted to the first division six times, but this season was the first time they could celebrate the feat with their fans at their Nuevo Los Cármenes stadium. Home matches actually proved vital for their promotion being confirmed so quickly, as they remained unbeaten there all season, winning every game apart from four draws. A great run after the Christmas break also saw them go undefeated between January 14 and April 2.
The Granada fans are used to seeing their team in the Spanish top flight, actually playing nine of the last twelve seasons in the first division since promotion during the 2011/12 season. The 2023/24 season will be the twenty-seventh time they play in the same league as FC Barcelona and they return after just one season in the second division.
Past clashes between the Andalusians and the Catalans are positive for FC Barcelona, with Barça winning 39 out of the 52 games played. In fact, Granada have only ever won once at the Spotify Camp Nou, during the 2020/21 season. The last game between Barça and Granada was in the 2021/22 season, Luuk de Jong and Antonio Puertas scoring the goals in a 1-1 draw.
UD Las Palmas back in the top flight after five seasons
The Canary Islanders return to the first division after five seasons, their seventh promotion to the top flight in total. A nail-biting last day saw promotion confirmed with a goalless draw against direct promotion rival Alavés at the Gran Canaria stadium. Las Palmas finished on the same points as Levante but their better head-to-head record meant they would play in the first division for the 34th time.
The games against Las Palmas will be special for Pedri. Barça's midfielder joined the Club in summer 2018 from the Canary Islanders' youth setup, just a year after making his first team debut and after becoming Las Palmas' youngest ever goalscorer aged 16 years, 9 months, and 25 days old.
An old friend of Barça in Garcia Pimienta played a crucial role in their promotion campaign. The Catalan coach took on the reins at the Gran Canaria stadium in January 24 2022. After gaining coaching experience in the FC Barcelona youth system and managing Barça Atlètic for over three seasons, García Pimienta has now achieved his first promotion to the top flight.
When it comes to games between both clubs this century, Barça haven't lost any of the ten games played, with seven wins and three draws in the Club's favour. The last game was a 1-1 draw with Messi and Jonathan Calleri scoring the goals.
Alavés back in the big time too
The Basque side return to the first division after just one season in the second. Currently coached by Luis García, the side actually spent five seasons in the top flight prior to relegation.
Their promotion was confirmed by a truly epic finish to a campaign. After a goalless playoff against Levante, with 200 minutes played over the two games, a penalty in added time of extra time by Asier Villalibre saw Alavés through.
FC Barcelona and Alavés first met in the league way back on January 25 1931, just three years after the competition began, in a game that ended 1-1, with Arnau Pericas scoring for Barça and Jacinto Quincoces for Alavés.
The most recent meeting between both sides was on January 23 2022 at the Mendizorroza stadium, Frenkie de Jong scoring a late goal to give the Catalans all three points (0-1). That win against Alavés in 2022 was Barça's 22nd in 34 league games between the two sides.
