Barcelona would’ve had barely any time to celebrate their stunning late comeback against Celta Vigo as they’re back in La Liga action on Tuesday night.
Xavi’s champions travel to Mallorca having fought back from 2-0 down in the final ten minutes to win 3-2 on Saturday. Celta proved an efficient unit on the counter, and it looked as if Rafa Benitez’s side would consign Barca to their first defeat of the season.
However, after Robert Lewandowski pulled one back with ten minutes remaining, Barca’s late heroics almost felt inevitable. The veteran striker then drew the hosts level four minutes later, before Joao Cancelo won it in the 89th minute.
Saturday’s victory means La Blaugrana sit top of La Liga after six games and their bright start will be expected to continue on Tuesday against a Mallorca side that have won just once this season. Tuesday’s hosts were cast aside by Spain’s early surprise package, Girona, 5-3 at the weekend.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Barcelona’s midweek La Liga duel.
Mallorca vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Mallorca: 0 wins
Barcelona: 5 wins
Draws: 0
Current form (all competitions)
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
LaLigaTV, Viaplay UK, Viaplay Sports 2 |
|
United States |
ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App |
|
Canada |
TSN+, TSN5 |
The hosts don’t have too many injury concerns ahead of Barcelona’s visit, with Omar Mascarell and Antonio Raillo both still sidelined.
Javier Aguirre has so far adopted a rather uninspiring back five at the start of 2023/24, and he’ll seek to contain Barca and spring on the counter-attack in a manner similar to Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Mallorca predicted lineup vs Barcelona (5-3-2): Rajkovic; Maffeo, Valjent, Nastasic, Van der Heyden, Costa; Rodriguez, Costa, Darder; Muriqi, Stuani.
Frenkie de Jong was added to Barcelona’s relatively short injury list at the weekend. The Dutch midfielder is expected to be out of action until November with an ankle injury.
De Jong joins Pedri on the sidelines, although the Spaniard is edging closer to his return.
Ronald Araujo could make his first start since the season opener after earning minutes off the bench on Saturday, while Gavi and Alejandro Balde are sure bets to return to Xavi’s starting XI.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Mallorca (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Romeu, Gundogan, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Felix.
Barcelona will be riding a wave of euphoria after Saturday’s late show, while Mallorca have been one of the most uninspiring outfits in the division to start 2023/24. Their 5-3 defeat at Catalan high flyers Girona flattered them at the weekend.
The hosts will cede territory and control; asking Barca to break them down. However, it’s unlikely that Mallorca will pose the same threat in transition as Celta did. They simply don’t have the profiles in attack to reliably trouble the visitors.
Thus, while it is a quick turnaround from the weekend, Barcelona should saunter to three points on Tuesday. It may not be pretty, but they’ll get the job done.
Prediction: Mallorca 0-2 Barcelona
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90Mins
