Mallorca vs Barcelona predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as the Catalan giants travel to Palma.
| Date | Saturday 1st October 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Visit Mallorca Stadium |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Mallorca vs Barcelona Preview
Barcelona travel to Palma this Saturday in LaLiga to take on Mallorca. The Catalans have made a near perfect start to their domestic campaign but are still playing catch-up on Real Madrid having dropped two points in their opening game against Rayo Vallecano.
Mallorca are capable of providing them with a test at least. Javier Aguirre has done a good job in stamping his mark on this team and while it’s not always pretty, Mallorca no longer feel like the soft touch they were at various points last season. They weren’t at their best last time out but still found a way to win with Pablo Maffeo’s headed goal securing a 1-0 home triumph against Almeria.
It’s pretty clear what their approach is likely to be here, particularly with their opponents suffering some defensive selection issues. Mallorca will look to pump balls into the box with Vedat Muriqi their target. The Kosovo striker is very much the focal point of this team with 8 goals scored in 22 appearances since he moved to the Balearic Islands in January.
Barcelona suddenly have a few injuries to contend with, which isn’t ideal heading into a really busy period in the season. Ronaldo Araujo looks like he will not feature for his club until after the World Cup while Jules Kounde also faces a few weeks on the sidelines. That will force Xavi into defensive alterations here and it may just hand Gerard Pique a chance to finally get some real minutes under his belt in what has been a frustrating season so far.
At the other end of the pitch, Barcelona have less to worry about and their forward line will be giving many LaLiga defenders sleepless nights. Robert Lewandowski has certainly hit the ground running while Ousmane Dembele is playing some of the best football of his career. On a slightly more concerning note, Ansu Fati has not featured as heavily as many expected and it’ll be interesting to see whether he gets a start having been excluded from the Spanish squad over the last two weeks.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Mallorca
| INJURED | Greif, Kadewere |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Rajkovic – Jaume Costa, Nastacic, Raillo, Valjent, Maffeo – Battaglia, Dani Rodriguez, Galaretta – Muriqi, Kang-in (5-3-2)
Coach: Javier Aguirre
Barcelona
| INJURED | Araujo, Kounde, Bellerin, Depay |
| DOUBTFUL | De Jong |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Ter Stegen – Balde, Garcia, Pique, Roberto – Pedri, Busquets, Gavi – Fati, Lewandowski, Dembele (4-3-3)
Coach: Xavi
Score Prediction: Mallorca 1-2 Barcelona
This is unlikely to be as comfortable as some of Barcelona’s matches have been so far this season. Mallorca will happily let the visitors dominate possession and their back three may be more like a back five for much of the game which will make them tough to break down. Barcelona’s defensive reshuffle and the aerial prowess of Muriqi should ensure the hosts are always in the game but you’d still think the away team’s dominance will ultimately show.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
