Barcelona return to La Liga action on Saturday looking to maintain their position at the summit when they welcome Mallorca to the Spotify Camp Nou.
The hosts start the weekend one point clear of Real Madrid, while Jagoba Arrasate’s side arrives buoyed by a 4-1 demolition of Sevilla.
Barcelona vs Mallorca – Match preview and team news
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- Date: Saturday, 7th February.
- Kick-off: 3:15pm BST.
- Venue: Camp Nou.
Barcelona team news
Barcelona remain without midfielders Gavi and Pedri, with both ruled out of the Mallorca clash. Gavi continues his recovery from a serious knee injury, while Pedri suffered a fresh hamstring problem in the recent Champions League win over Slavia Prague.
Centre-back Andreas Christensen is also sidelined with a knee ligament injury and is not expected back until around April, further reducing Hansi Flick’s options in central defence.
Raphinha is a major doubt after sustaining an adductor issue in the 3-1 win away to Elche on 31 January, which forced him off at half-time and kept him out of the midweek Copa del Rey victory at Albacete.
Flick has urged patience over the Brazilian’s return, saying they “need to stay calm and take it one step at a time” when asked about Raphinha’s recovery in his pre-Mallorca press conference.
Mallorca team news
Mallorca’s main fitness concerns ahead of the trip to Camp Nou are defender Marash Kumbulla and winger Takuma Asano, who are both listed as doubts for matchday 23 with unspecified knocks.
Otherwise, Jagoba Arrasate appears to have a largely fit squad, with key starters such as goalkeeper Leo Román, centre-back Martin Valjent, midfield anchor Omar Mascarell and top scorer Vedat Muriqi all featuring in the 4-1 home win over Sevilla on 2 February.
Form
Barcelona
Barcelona have hit their stride again after a brief dip, winning 11 of their last 12 LaLiga matches, including a 3-1 win away to Elche and home victories over Real Oviedo and Villarreal, with the only blemish a narrow 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad.
Across all competitions, Flick’s men come into this fixture on a run of five straight wins – against Slavia Praha, Real Oviedo, Copenhagen, Elche and Albacete.
Their league-leading attack has produced 60 goals in 22 games (2.7 per match), and they boast a perfect 10 wins from 10 at home in La Liga this season, with a goal difference of +26 at home.
Mallorca
Mallorca’s league form has been streaky, but their emphatic 4-1 win over Sevilla last time out suggests confidence is returning after a difficult run.
Arrasate’s side have taken six points from their last five league games – beating Athletic Club 3-2 and Sevilla 4-1, but losing to Girona, Rayo Vallecano and Atlético Madrid – leaving them 14th with 24 points from 22 matches.
Predicted lineups
Barcelona: Joan Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Balde; Dani Olmo, De Jong, Fermin Lopez; Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford.
Mallorca: Leo Roman; Maffeo, David Lopez, Valjent, Mojica; Mascarell, Samu; Sanchez, Sergi Darder, Jan Virgili; Vedat Muriqi.
How to watch Barcelona vs Mallorca?
In the UK, the match will be shown live on LaLigaTV, which is carried by Premier Sports.
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