Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona will look to return to winning ways when they host relegation-threatened RCD Mallorca.
RCD Mallorca will look to make it consecutive wins in La Liga when they hit the road to square up against third-placed Barcelona. Another win here will help the visitors further strengthen their position in the relegation battle, while the Catalan giants will look to bounce back from the disappointing draw last time out.
Barcelona had the opportunity to reduce the gap at the top with a win last time out, but they failed to get the desired result. They remain third with 58 points out of their 27 matches. They are eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
While they have been unbeaten in each of their last five league games, they need to ensure they do not drop any more points having played out a 0-0 draw last time out against Athletic Club. They will look to return to winning ways and will have to ensure they put up a much better fight this time around.
The visitors are 15th on the points table with 27 points out of their 27 matches. While they have not been at their best, they do have an eight-point buffer over 18th-placed Cadiz, which will surely help them in their quest for survival.
They have only won two of their last five league games but picked a win over second-placed Girona last time out. Despite not being the dominant team on the day, they took their chance and won 1-0. That win will give them confidence heading into this one. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Barcelona suffered two more blows in their last outing as Pedri and Frenkie de Jong were forced off the field. The good news is that Pedri’s injury is not as bad as it seemed earlier, and the midfield sensation should be back before the fixture against Real Madrid next month.
The duo joins Alejandro Balde, Gavi, and Marcos Alonso on the sidelines. Ronald Araujo is also unavailable having picked up a milestone yellow last time out. Meanwhile, they could have a boost as Ferran Torres could return in time for this one.
There could be a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing. But they are unlikely to make any changes to their formation. It will be a 4-3-3 with Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal. Jules Kounde and Joao Cancelo will be the two full-backs. Meanwhile, in the heart of the defence, Pau Cubarsi will pair up with Inigo Martinez.
Andreas Christensen will once again feature in the centre of the park as the holding midfielder. He will have the support of Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez. The trio will look to control the tempo of this game. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will feature on the flanks and will look to provide width to their attacks, while Robert Lewandowski lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, Fermin Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
RCD Mallorca
The visitors will be without the services of Pablo Maffeo, who is out struggling with his knee. Meanwhile, Omar Mascarell is also suspended because of a milestone yellow that he picked up in their last outing.
They will unlikely make any major changes to the XI that started in their last outing against Girona. It will be a 5-3-2 formation, where Predrag Rajkovic will start in goal. Jose Manuel Copete, Antonio Raillo and Martin Valjent will form the back three. The trio will look for a clean sheet, and they will have the support of Giovanni Gonzalez and Toni Lato, who will feature as wing-backs in keeping things tight at the back.
In the centre of the park, Antonio Sanchez and Dani Rodriguez will feature alongside Samu Costa. The trio will look to ensure they do not allow Barcelona to dominate the proceedings. Vedat Muriqi and Cyle Larin will be the two forwards for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (5-3-2): Rajkovic; Gonzalez, Valjent, Raillo, Copete, Lato; Antonio Sanchez, Samu Costa, Dani Rodriguez; Muriqi, Larin
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won 28 of their last 41 matches against RCD Mallorca, who only have seven wins to show (D6).
- In La Liga, the Catalan giants have won 24 out of their last 29 matches against the visitors and have scored in all of those fixtures.
- The reverse fixture ended in a 2-2 draw as Mallorca managed to keep the Blaugrana in check on their home turf.
- The Catalan giants have only lost two out of their last 11 league games played on a Friday.
- Barcelona have been unbeaten since Xavi announced his departure towards the end of January.
Player to Watch
Fermin Lopez
20-year-old Fermin Lopez is expected to start in this fixture with quite a few of their first-team regulars out injured. Xavi will hope the promising youngster stands up and helps his team get over the line.
The youngster has featured in 20 league matches this season and has racked up over 700 minutes. He has even contributed towards two goals and will look to add to his tally when he takes the field against RCD Mallorca.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-1 RCD Mallorca
Mallorca are heading into this one on the back of a win over second-placed Girona and they will be quite confident about their chances against Barcelona who are coming into this one on the back of a frustrating draw last time out.
Xavi’s team will be without the services of quite a few first-team players, but they still might have enough in their tanks to get one better over the visitors. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.
