La Liga: Barcelona Pushing For Second Place

Barcelona vs Mallorca

Rest is considered a luxury for the Catalans these days since this will be their third La Liga match in just a span of nine days. The same can’t be said for Mallorca, though, as they’ll look to take advantage of their hosts’ tired legs.

Xavi’s men have fallen to third place following their upset loss against Rayo Vallecano last Monday and Sevilla’s draw against Cadiz yesterday. The Catalans now have 63 points, while Los Palanganas have 64 and Atletico Madrid are at solo fourth with 61.

On the other side of the standings, that’s where you can find Mallorca as they’re placed 16^th with 32 points. They got the much-needed three points against Alaves on Wednesday in a nail-biting encounter, and they must gain more positive La Liga 2022 results to stay in top-flight next term.

Talking Points

No rest for weary Barcelona

Xavi would prefer to have more options in order for Barcelona to finish their campaign strong. Injuries have ruined their title chances this year and now they’ll have to settle for another possible runner-up finish – marking their third straight season of not winning La Liga.

Barcelona can still aim for a second place finish since they have the head-to-head advantage over Sevilla. They have plenty to fight for despite being out of the title race since their top four spot is not yet fully confirmed, especially having lost two of their last three.

Against Cadiz, the Catalans’ backline was compromised as Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Dani Alves, and Ronald Araujo all limped off, while Clement Lenglet took a shot at the head.

Araujo and Alba played against Rayo Vallecano and the two are likely to play alongside Eric Garcia and Sergino Dest for their back four.

Gerard Pique is progressing well as he was seen in training alongside fellow centre-back Samuel Umtiti. However, Pique might not be rushed back while Umtiti has yet to play since January due to a toe injury.

Sergi Roberto is still suffering from a hamstring injury and he remains out, leaving more opportunities for both Sergio Busquets, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong.

The good news is that their frontline looks intact with Ferran Torres, Ousmane Dembele, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore, Luuk de Jong, and Memphis Depay present. We expect Torres, Aubameyang, and Dembele to get the starting nod here.

Mallorca eager to retain top-flight status

Los Bermellones secured a return to La Liga by finishing second in the Segunda Division last term and they’re bidding to stay in back-to-back seasons at this level for the first time since 2013.

Mallorca have a tough four-game stretch to wrap up their campaign as they’ll face Granada, Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, and Osasuna, so Javier Aguirre has his work cut out for him in these next few weeks.

Their leading scorers so far are Salva Sevilla and Vedat Muriqi, who have four goals apiece this season. Other than those two veterans, Barcelona may want to keep an eye on the young Asian duo of Takefusa Kubo and Lee Kang-in on the wings.

History

Barcelona hold an eight-game winning streak against Mallorca here in La Liga prior to Sunday since their 1-1 draw at Camp Nou in 2010 where Pep Guardiola was still their head coach. In those eight losses, Mallorca have failed to score in six of them while conceding an average of four goals per game.

Furthermore, Mallorca have only won once in their last 11 visits to Catalunya in La Liga (D1, L9) after having won two of their previous four away league games against them.

But Barcelona have lost their last three home games in all competitions. Should Mallorca somehow win, it’ll be the first time that they’ve lost four in a row in their history.

Xavi’s side cannot underestimate Los Bermellones looking at their reverse fixture last January. Both teams had 13 total shots, but Barcelona got the victory thanks to Luuk de Jong’s 44^th-minute goal and because they held 65-per cent possession.

Betting Tip

Barcelona are unsurprisingly favoured by the SBOTOP La Liga 2022 odds for this contest. The Catalans are installed at 1.30 to win, while Mallorca are the underdogs at 7.20 and chances for a draw are at 5.20.

Given how their last meeting went, Barcelona know that Mallorca are not to be taken for granted, especially since they’re playing with a big sense of urgency.

This might a closer game than most would expect, but Barcelona should have enough to secure the victory at home despite being undermanned.

 

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