While Barcelona will look to take a step towards reclaiming the La Liga title, RCD Mallorca are fighting for a European spot and they can’t afford a slip-up with a handful of games to go.
The Catalan giants found themselves in a spot of bother in their last outing. They were 3-1 down to Celta Vigo and dropping three crucial points could have been a massive blow in the title race. But they managed to script an incredible comeback and won 4-3.
While they did move seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, the team in white also won on Sunday night thanks to a late Federico Valverde strike against Athletic Club. With six games to go, the two teams are separated by just four points.
Barcelona will look to maintain their winning momentum, knowing that any slip-up could hand Real Madrid a genuine opportunity to shift the title race in their favour during the El Clasico in the second week of May.
The visitors are 7th on the table with 44 points in their 32 outings. They are four points behind sixth-placed Real Betis, who also have a game in hand. While finishing within the top six won’t be easy, they would certainly want to ensure they secure Conference League football with a 7th-place finish.
Mallorca are only a point above 8th-placed Celta Vigo, as a result, they can’t really afford to drop points. They will certainly push hard to get something out of this fixture against the league leaders. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 0-0 draw against Leganes and will surely have to do much better against Hansi Flick’s team.
The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Robert Lewandowski has joined Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado, and Marc Bernal on the sidelines. The Polish international remains a major doubt for the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
Hansi Flick will make a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing. Lamie Yamal will certainly return to the XI after getting a well-deserved rest last time out.
The home team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Wojciech Szczesny will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Gerard Martin will feature on the flanks, while Ronald Araujo could partner with Pau Cubarsi in central defence.
In the centre of the park, Pedri will start alongside Frenkie de Jong. The duo will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they dominate the ball.
Yamal and Raphinha will feature on the flanks with Gavi taking up the number ten role. Ferran Torres will feature as their number nine in this fixture.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martin; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha; Torres
The visitors will be without as many as six first-team stars. Vedat Muriqi, Robert Navarro, Takuma Asano and Manu Morlanes remain on the sidelines, while Pablo Maffeo and Dani Rodriguez are suspended following milestone yellow cards in their last outing.
Coach Jagoba Arrasate would have to ideally stick to the same XI that started in his last outing but he has been forced to make a few changes. They will once again line up in a 5-3-2 formation, where Dominik Greif will be in goal.
Mateu Morey and Johan Mojica could feature as the wing-backs, while Martin Valjent, Antonio Raíllo and José Manuel Copete will feature in the heart of the defence. The back five will look to keep things tight against the best attack in the division.
Antonio Sánchez could take Dani Rodriguez’s place in the team and start alongside Samú Costa and Sergi Darder in the centre of the park. The trio will look to ensure Barcelona midfielders do not dominate the ball too deep in their half.
Marc Domenech could get the nod up top alongside Cyle Larin.
Probable Lineup (5-3-2): Greif; Morey, Valjent, Raillo, Copete, Mojica; A Sanchez, S Costa, Darder; Larin, Domenech
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Torres might not be an important first-team player under Hansi Flick but he has delivered every time he has been handed an opportunity. The Spanish international has featured in every position across the frontline. While he has been involved in 40 matches, he has only racked up 1,460 minutes of first-team action.
Despite limited game time, the 25-year-old has 17 goals and four assists to his name. More importantly, he averages a goal every 86th minute. Torres will be leading the line in the absence of Lewandowski and given the kind of consistency he has shown, it won’t be a surprise if he does make the most of this opportunity.
Barcelona will head into this fixture high on confidence after securing a dramatic comeback win against Celta Vigo. With six games left in the campaign and just a four-point lead over Real Madrid, every fixture is a must-win. The Catalan giants will look to take control early on and dictate the tempo throughout.
RCD Mallorca, meanwhile, have their own reasons to go all guns blazing. Still in the hunt for a European spot, they’ll be desperate to get something out of this game against Barcelona. But with several key players unavailable, the odds are stacked against them. Arrasate’s men are likely to sit deep in their 5-3-2 and hope to frustrate the home team. But the Catalan giants still have enough quality to get the job done.
The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 2-0 win for the home team.
