Mallorca vs Barcelona
Spanish football is back everyone – hold onto your tapas!
La Liga is returning and the champions are in town.
On their day, that is still a sight to behold.
Yet this is a game of utmost importance to both clubs; when the importance of the result will outweigh any aesthetically pleasing performance.
Not only a match that I selected as one of the big five clashes between now and the end of the season, but also one that will prove a steep learning curve as the first back following the three-month hiatus.
Certainly, with both sides needing the points for very different reasons, there’ll be no time to ease back into action.
Talking Points
With 11 fixtures to be played in little more than a month, Barcelona boss Quique Setien knows players’ fitness will play a key role in their title push.
The league leaders are two points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top, while Real Mallorca are in the drop zone but only one point adrift of safety in a basement battle which sees five teams separated by just six points.
Mallorca want to ensure their first top-flight season in seven years is not a solitary one, while Barca are aiming to secure the title with Setien, Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong looking for their first piece of silverware at the Nou Camp.
They have an advantage in that the enforced break has allowed Luis Suarez to return after the Uruguayan seemed to have been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Suarez underwent knee surgery in January and is now fit, but Setien isn’t sure whether he’ll start at Son Moix.
Nevertheless, his availability is a boost as this is the first time Setien will be able to field the striker since he was appointed as Ernesto Valverde’s successor in January.
Two names have been particularly popular when talking about the summer transfer window for Barcelona – Lautaro Martinez and Miralem Pjanic.
Yet they can’t afford to think of what may be right now. They need to focus on the undoubted talent they already have – led, of course, by their brilliant captain.
Setien has declared Lionel Messi fit to play amidst some concern over whether the Argentine would be fit after suffering a muscle problem in training.
That will be a massive lift as he is the player who, at times this term, has appeared to single-handedly drag the side to the summit, even when below par.
He is the maestro who has created La Liga highlights galore and seems to score or make the key difference when it matters the most.
As for Mallorca, they have secured some memorable results this year, including a 1-0 victory over Real, a 4-1 hammering of Valencia and toppling Villarreal 3-1.
There will certainly be an added incentive this weekend for Madrid loanee Takefusa Kubo, 19, who has impressed in his first full season in Europe. The club also has Ki Sung-yueng, a major addition who made his debut just before coronavirus brought the game to a standstill.
Barca start as favourites but if Mallorca are able to frustrate them, the longer the game goes on, the more the pressure will grow on the illustrious visitors.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has confirmed he hopes to have some supporters back in stadiums by the end of the season.
He says talks will take place with the government in a fortnight to discuss the possibility of fans returning when it is safe to do so.
If that does happen, I wonder what the state of play will be for both these sides. The crucial run-in starts here.
History
The teams last met in La Liga in December when Messi – who else – inspired Barca to a 5-2 win with a hat-trick.
You have to go back six years to the meetings before then, given Mallorca were not in the top flight from 2013-2019.
Barca beat Mallorca 5-0 at home and 4-2 away (in which Messi scored twice) during the 2012/13 campaign.
Betting Tip
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Mallorca vs Barcelona | Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.17 |
| June 14, 04:00 (GMT+8) |
No surprise that the SBOBET La Liga betting odds back a Barca bonanza.
But a word of caution.
They may have been almost perfect at home this season with 13 wins and a draw, but are just the fifth-best team in terms of away results.
The Blaugrana have won five, lost five and drawn three away from the Nou Camp – and Mallorca have only conceded 14 goals in 14 home games so far.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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