This season has been quite difficult for FC Barcelona. They have already played 27 games in La Liga and secured 58 points, eight points behind the table topper Real Madrid. However, Barcelona will take on Mallorca tonight in the league game, aiming to get closer to the table topper.
Due to Barcelona’s poor performance this season, Barca boss Xavi Hernandez has decided to step down as the head coach of the club at the end of the season. But Xavi still believes Barcelona can challenge for the league title this season, despite being eight points behind Real Madrid. In the pre-match press conference against Mallora, Xavi said, “I don’t think the league is lost. We certainly missed out on an opportunity at San Mamés, but now we have another chance to move closer to the top, albeit provisionally. We can’t afford to take our minds off it and only focus on the Champions League.”
Barcelona have been very inconsistent throughout the season. Following their 1-1 tie against Napoli in the Champions League, the Blaugrana smashed Granada in their next game. They defeated Granada by a 4-0 margin, but their most recent match saw a goalless draw against Athletic Club.
Now Barcelona have another chance to grab all three points against Mallorca, who stand in 15th with only 27 points.
Stats & Facts
- Barcelona have an excellent record against Mallorca in La Liga. They have won 24 of their last 29 meetings with Mallorca, while they lost only three games and the remaining two ended in a tie.
- Barcelona have scored in all those 29 matches against Mallorca, scoring 77 goals in total. It is their second-longest scoring streak against a single opponent in this competition.
- Mallorca had a 2-2 draw against Barcelona this season. The last time Mallorca didn’t lose two games in La Liga against Barcelona was in the 2000-2001 season.
- Playing on Friday has been a blessing for Barcelona, as they have lost only two of their last 11 Friday games in La Liga.
Team News
The goalless draw against Athletic Club saw FC Barcelona lose two of their key players, including Pedri and Frankie de Jong. Pedri could require an operation for the hamstring injury and will miss the rest of the season, while Frankie de Jong will also be out of the squad for an extended period.
Barca will also miss the service of Alejandro Balde, Gavi, and Marcos Alonso due to their respective injury, while Ronald Araujo is unable to play due to his suspension.
As for Mallorca, they will miss the service of Pablo Maffeo due to his knee injury. Additionally, Omar Mascarell is out of the squad for a suspension.
Possible Lineup for Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, F Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Possible Lineup for Mallorca:
Rajkovic; Gonzalez, Valjent, Raillo, Copete, Lato; A Sanchez, S Costa, D Rodriguez; Muriqi, Larin
Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Mallorca
Since Barcelona will be missing some key players, it will be difficult for them to win with a big margin. Their performance has been inconsistent throughout the season, but as the home side, Barcelona will have huge support from the gallery.
Therefore, we are expecting Barcelona to win this match and get closer to the table topper.
Betfair Odds
Barcelona: 1.46
Draw: 4.61
Mallorca: 7.84
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