Barcelona boss faces dilemma for Las Palmas with Luis Suarez at risk of missing Atletico Madrid

Ernesto Valverde faces a selection dilemma on whether to pick Luis Suarez for the upcoming trip to Las Palmas on Thursday (1 March) with the Barcelona striker being at risk of missing the crucial clash with La Liga second-place Atletico Madrid.

The former Liverpool star has been booked four times in La Liga this season and he appeared to make every effort to pick up another yellow card during the Catalan's 6-1 victory over Girona in order to arrive with a clean slate for the clash with Atletico.

Suarez delivered a comfortable win for Barcelona by scoring a hat-trick and in the final stages of the game committed several fouls but the referee surprisingly decided against showing him a yellow card.

This means that the Uruguay international will miss the crucial visit of Diego Simeone's side on Sunday 4 March if he is booked against Las Palmas.

Valverde faced a similar headache earlier this month when Suarez headed into the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Valencia one booking away from suspension.

The Barcelona boss still decided to start him given the importance of the game and the decision paid off as the Uruguay international managed to stay out of trouble and remains available for the final.

However, Valverde may consider leaving him out of the trip to Las Palmas to avoid the risk of losing him for a game which could be decisive in the La Liga title race, with Atletico currently trailing Barcelona by only seven points.

Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Co could be enough to secure the three points at the home of the relegation-threatened side while Suarez's firepower against an Atletico side which has conceded only 11 goals in 25 La Liga games could be much-needed at the weekend.

The Barcelona striker has already scored 20 goals in 22 league games this season, including a hat-trick in the latest win over Girona despite having a slow start to the season due to an ongoing knee injury.

Furthermore, Valverde would still have plenty of options as his disposal to form his attack against Las Palmas even if Suarez is rested with right-back Nelson Semedo currently the only player on the sidelines.

Paco Alcacer would be the natural choice to replace the Uruguayan but the Barcelona boss could also use an fearsome attack with Messi, Coutinho and Dembele if he opts to play without a number nine.

Meanwhile, France international Lucas Digne is expected to star at the left-back on Thursday [1 March] night after Jordi Alba recieved his fifth yellow card of the campaign in the win over Girona.