Previews

Mallorca vs Barcelona Prediction & Match Preview Team news

September 25, 2023

FC Barcelona is on a quest for their seventh consecutive victory in all competitions as they set their sights on their upcoming La Liga match against Mallorca on Tuesday night.

The Catalan side has amassed an impressive 16 points from their six league fixtures this season, securing their position at the summit of the table. In contrast, Mallorca currently occupies the 15th spot, with just five points from their initial six games.

Mallorca’s journey in La Liga this season has seen them clinch one victory, draw twice, and suffer three losses, resulting in their five-point tally and 15th place in the standings.

Their campaign began with a 1-1 draw against Las Palmas but took a downturn with subsequent losses to Villarreal and Granada at the end of August.

They managed to secure their second point of the season in a home match against Athletic Bilbao in early September, followed by a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo after the international break.

In their recent encounter, Mallorca engaged in an eight-goal thriller against Girona, with the Catalan outfit ultimately prevailing with a 5-3 victory on their home turf.

Although Mallorca initially took the lead through Vedat Muriqi in the fourth minute, they conceded five unanswered goals before netting twice late in the match, courtesy of Abdon Prats, to salvage some respectability in the final scoreline.

Barcelona, on the other hand, also played an intense match on Saturday, securing a 3-2 victory against Celta Vigo, although it was far from straightforward. Celta held a 2-0 lead heading into the final 10 minutes, but a double from Robert Lewandowski leveled the scores in the 85th minute.

Joao Cancelo then netted the winning goal in the 89th minute, pushing Barcelona’s point total to 16 and keeping them at the top of the league standings.

While Barcelona had a lackluster start to the season with a goalless draw against Getafe on the opening weekend, they have since been flawless, registering wins against Cadiz, Villarreal, Osasuna, Real Betis, and Celta in the league, as well as a dominant 5-0 victory over Royal Antwerp in the Champions League.

Under Xavi’s management, Barcelona has two more league matches against Mallorca and Sevilla before heading to Porto in early October for their second group-stage match in the Champions League.

Barcelona has dominated their recent history against Mallorca, winning each of their last 11 league encounters and not suffering a loss to their Tuesday opponents in Spain’s top flight since May 2009.

Team News:

Mallorca will be missing Omar Mascarell and Antonio Raillo due to injuries on Tuesday, but aside from that, the home team is in good shape for the match. Prats, who scored twice as a substitute against Girona, is expected to join the starting lineup, possibly in a wider role, while Muriqi will likely continue to operate in the center.

Head coach Aguirre is anticipated to make minor changes to the lineup following their recent conceding of five goals against Girona, with Copete possibly being introduced in the defensive line.

Barcelona, on the other hand, suffered a setback with Frenkie de Jong picking up an ankle injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined for approximately six weeks.

Pedri is still recovering from a thigh problem, which means Gavi could feature alongside Oriol Romeu and Ilkay Gundogan in the midfield trio.

Ronald Araujo made his return from injury as a substitute against Celta and may now make his way into the starting lineup, possibly replacing Andreas Christensen.

Meanwhile, coach Xavi is expected to continue rotating in the right-sided attacking position, with Raphinha potentially starting on Tuesday, and Alejandro Balde should return as the left-back in the league fixture.