Barcelona will be looking to get back to winning ways when they face Mallorca on Tuesday evening in La Liga.
Currently sitting at the top of the table, Hansi Flick's Barcelona suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Las Palmas on Saturday. Mallorca, on the other hand, will enter the match on a high after a 2-1 victory over Valencia at home.
Mallorca’s position in sixth place in La Liga is unexpected, given they’ve scored only 15 goals in 15 games this season. However, their success has been built on a solid defense. Under coach Jagoba Arrasate, Mallorca has conceded just 13 goals, the third-best defensive record in the league. The team has also won their last two matches, beating Las Palmas and Valencia.
In their most recent win over Valencia, Mallorca came from behind. Luis Rioja gave Valencia the lead with a penalty, but Cyle Larin equalized just before halftime. Then, Abdon Prats scored the match-winner late in the game.
Mallorca is just two points behind fourth-place Athletic Bilbao and will be looking to push for a European spot. However, they will need to improve their goal-scoring if they hope to maintain that push.
Although Mallorca hasn’t beaten Barcelona since May 2009, they managed a draw in the corresponding match last season, and they’ll be hoping to get another positive result against a Barcelona side that has been struggling lately.
Barcelona, despite sitting at the top of La Liga with 34 points from 15 matches, have picked up just one point from their last three league games. Their most recent loss was a surprising 2-1 defeat to Las Palmas at home. Although still top of the table, they are only one point ahead of second-placed Real Madrid, who also have a game in hand.
Real Madrid regained control of the title race with a 2-0 win over Getafe on Sunday, leaving Barcelona in need of a win to maintain their lead. The Catalans will also be looking ahead to their trip to Real Betis next weekend.
Barcelona remains the highest-scoring team in La Liga with 43 goals but has now conceded 16, including four in their last two matches. Despite their recent struggles domestically, they’ve been strong in the Champions League, winning four of their five matches and sitting third in the overall table, behind Liverpool and Inter Milan.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Mallorca will again be without Toni Lato, Ivan Cuellar, Takuma Asano, and Copete for Tuesday’s match. However, Vedat Muriqi will be available after serving his suspension in the last encounter against Barcelona.
Muriqi is expected to return to the lineup, which could see Dani Rodriguez drop out. Sergi Darder and Robert Navarro are likely to play in the wide midfield positions. Cyle Larin will continue up front, with Manu Morlanes and Samu Costa set to maintain their roles in the center of the midfield.
As for Barcelona, they’ll still be missing Ansu Fati, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen. On a positive note, Marc Casado is back after serving a suspension in the Las Palmas match.
Alejandro Balde, who was substituted with a neck injury after a clash with Sandro Ramirez against Las Palmas, is believed to have recovered. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if he is rested for this match. Lamine Yamal is expected to return to the starting XI after making a brief comeback from injury as a substitute on Saturday, and Dani Olmo is also set to start, having been an unused substitute last time out.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Greif; Morey, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica; Morlanes, Costa; Navarro, Darder; Larin, Muriqi
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Martin; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
EXPERT PREDICTION
Mallorca 1-2 Barcelona
This is a tough match for Barcelona, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they drop more points on Tuesday. However, after a difficult run in the league, Flick’s team will be eager to bounce back. We’re backing the league leaders to find a way to secure a crucial three points at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
