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Who: Mallorca vs Barcelona
What: Spanish La Liga
Where: Estadi Mallorca Son Moix successful Mallorca, Spain
When: Saturday astatine 7:30pm (17:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up connected Al Jazeera Sport from 4:30pm (15:30 GMT) successful beforehand of our unrecorded substance commentary stream.
Barcelona statesman their defence of their La Liga rubric connected Saturday aft flying to the land of Mallorca.
The Catalan nine disposed of their fierce rivals and winners of the erstwhile year’s title, Real Madrid, connected each fronts past season.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine the archetypal large lucifer of the caller La Liga play and what clues determination whitethorn beryllium arsenic to whether Barca volition springiness Real a glimpse of anticipation successful the rubric contention this clip around.
How ascendant were Barcelona past season?
The Catalan nine is coming disconnected 1 of its champion seasons successful years, having won the league, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. It besides went heavy successful the Champions League, reaching the semifinals for the archetypal clip since 2019.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, right, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen assistance the trophy aft winning La Liga past play [File: Albert Gea/Reuters]How large a relation volition Marcus Rashford play astatine Barcelona?
In its 2nd twelvemonth nether manager Hansi Flick, the Catalan nine volition effort to adhd to its occurrence from past play by boosting its squad with Marcus Rashford connected indebtedness from Manchester United. He volition beryllium teaming up with Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski successful an attacking beforehand that was 1 of the champion successful Europe past season.
It led the scoring charts some successful the Spanish league – with much than 100 goals – and successful the Champions League.
With Lewandowski acceptable to miss the commencement of the caller season, Rashford volition vie with Ferran Torres for a spot successful Barca’s attack.
After Rashford fell down the pecking bid astatine Old Trafford, his determination to Barcelona presents a immense accidental to rebuild his career.
Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford came connected arsenic a substitute successful the preseason affable with Como connected August 10, 2025 [Quique Garcia/EPA]What different changes person Barcelona made?
Leaving the squad are seasoned defender Inigo Martínez, who has signed with Saudi nine Al-Nassr, and Ansu Fati, who went connected indebtedness to Monaco aft not playing overmuch past season.
How galore La Liga titles person Barcelona won?
Last season’s rubric was Barcelona’s 28th trophy assistance successful La Liga. Real Madrid are the grounds winners with 36 victories to their name.
Has Mallorca ever beaten Barcelona?
Yes. The Spanish islanders person won 17 of their 75 meetings. Barca, however, person won 44 of the encounters.
Where did Mallorca decorativeness past season?
Mallorca squeezed into the apical fractional of La Liga past play with a 10th-placed finish.
Only 1 squad had a worse location grounds among the apical 12 teams past play aft Mallorca recorded lone 7 wins successful 19 league matches successful beforehand of their ain crowd. Six of those games resulted successful defeats.
Barcelona’s Dani Olmo scored the lone extremity successful the past gathering with Mallorca [File: Albert Gea/Reuters]What happened the past clip Barcelona met Mallorca?
Barca narrowly bushed Mallorca 1-0 astatine home successful their past gathering successful April. Dani Olmo scored the lone extremity successful the archetypal infinitesimal of the 2nd fractional to settee the La Liga match.
The corresponding fixture resulted successful a 5-1 triumph for Barca with Raphinha netting twice.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick’s prematch thoughts
“We are moving hard to look this caller season. Winning 3 titles past twelvemonth is not the extremity – it’s a continuation. We volition springiness everything this year.
“Lamine Yamal inactive has country to improve. I similar what I’m seeing. He’s grooming precise well, with and without the ball, defending and pressing.”
Head-to-head
Mallorca person not defeated Barcelona since May 2009 – a 2-1 location triumph successful an end-of-season matter successful La Liga.
Barca, meanwhile, person won 14 of their past 15 matches against Mallorca successful each competitions.
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres celebrates scoring their 4th extremity to implicit a hat-trick against Valencia successful the Copa del Rey past play [File: Pablo Morano/Reuters]Mallorca squad news
Pablo Maffeo volition beryllium heavy missed successful defence owed to a hamstring injury.
Pablo Torre is acceptable to commencement against his erstwhile side, having joined from Barcelona successful the summertime window. Spain Under-21 planetary Mateo Joseph is besides successful enactment to feature, having joined connected indebtedness from Leeds United.
Omar Mascarell has a suspension hanging implicit from past play aft his booking successful the last crippled of the past La Liga campaign.
Barcelona squad news
The Catalan nine starts the play without seasoned goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen due to the fact that of country for little backmost problems.
The goalkeeper was astatine likelihood with the nine astir his betterment time. He was provisionally stripped of his captaincy for refusing to motion a aesculapian study astir the injury, but helium and the nine yet reached an statement that restored his relation arsenic captain.
Veteran striker Lewandowski besides isn’t expected to play aboriginal successful the caller run due to the fact that of a musculus issue. Rashford’s registration aft his indebtedness from Manchester United has proved problematic, akin to the fiscal issues that held up Dani Olmo’s participation past season.
Mallorca predicted starting lineup
Greif; Morey, Lopez, Raillo, Lato; Sanchez, Costa, Torre, Darder; Muriqi, Joseph
Barcelona predicted starting lineup
Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; de Jong, Pedri, Olmo; Lamine Yamal, Torres, Raphinha
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