Barcelona will travel to Mallorca for their next La Liga game, and the Catalan giants will look to extend their impressive run of form with an away win.
Barcelona are in red-hot form right now, and they have picked up five straight victories in La Liga. The Blaugrana will be full of confidence heading into this contest, and it will be interesting to see if they can justify their tag of being the favourites and grind out all three points.
Barcelona are second in the league table with 16 points from six matches, and they will be hoping to overtake bitter rivals Real Madrid, who are two points clear at the top and will only be in action on Sunday.
Meanwhile, RCD Mallorca come into this contest in tenth place, and they have picked up just two wins from six league outings. The hosts have been quite inconsistent this season, and they will need to improve immensely in order to beat a team like Barcelona.
Xavi Hernandez’s charges have momentum with them, and they will be keen to avoid an upset here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between RCD Mallorca and Barcelona.
We're back! #MallorcaBarça up next!
? ????? ?? ? pic.twitter.com/wYkK30CR0P— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 30, 2022
Team News and Tactics
RCD Mallorca
Mallorca will be without the services of Dominik Greif, who is struggling with a hip injury. Meanwhile, Tino Kadewere is still recovering from his muscle injury, and Amath Ndiaye is out with a finger injury.
The home side are likely to continue with their 3-5-2 formation, with Predrag Rajkovic starting in goal. The likes of Matija Nastasic, Antonio Raillo and Martin Valjent are expected to start in a back three for Mallorca against Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Pablo Maffeo and Jaume Costa are expected to be deployed as the full-backs. In the central midfield, Rodrigo Battaglia is expected to line up alongside Antonio Sanchez and Dani Rodriguez.
Lee Kang-in has been in superb form this season, and he is expected to lead the line alongside Vedat Muriqi, with the duo forming the strike partnership for Mallorca against Barcelona.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Rajkovic; Nastasic, Raillo, Valjent; Maffeo, Sanchez, Battaglia, Rodriguez, Costa; Lee, Muriqi
Barcelona
Barcelona have a lengthy injury list ahead of Saturday’s game, and they will be heading into this contest with a depleted defence. Summer signing Jules Kounde is currently sidelined with an injury, and Ronald Araujo is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines following his surgery.
Meanwhile, full-backs Sergi Roberto and Hector Bellerin are injured and will miss out against Mallorca. Dutch international players Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong picked up injuries during the international break, and they are set to be sidelined as well.
In terms of setup, Xavi Hernandez is expected to persist with his tried and tested 4-3-3 formation, with Jordi Alba and Alejandro Balde deployed as full-backs. Summer signing Andreas Christensen is expected to partner with Eric Garcia at the heart of the Barcelona defence.
German international Marc-Andre ter Stegen will continue in goal. Up ahead in the midfield, Franck Kessie is expected to come in alongside Sergio Busquets and Pedri. The front three is pretty much settled at this moment, and Robert Lewandowski will be flanked by Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Alba, Christensen, Garcia, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won their last nine matches against RCD Mallorca in all competitions.
- Barcelona have scored at least three goals in their last five matches (La Liga).
- Barcelona have won nine of their last ten away matches (La Liga).
- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches (La Liga).
- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six away matches against Mallorca in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Robert Lewandowski
The Polish international has been in impeccable form since joining Barcelona. Lewandowski has scored 11 goals and picked up two assists in his last seven appearances for the Catalan club, and he will be determined to get on the scoresheet here.
RCD Mallorca conceded four goals against Real Madrid, and they have a vulnerable backline. Barcelona have the quality to exploit their defensive frailties, and Lewandowski will look to add to his tally here.
Prediction
RCD Mallorca 0-3 Barcelona
Barcelona are undoubtedly the better team here, and they have done well in their recent outings. Mallorca, on the other hand, have failed to win four of their last six outings in La Liga, and they are well out of their depth against a team like Barcelona. An away win is very much on the cards here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 victory for Barcelona over Mallorca.
