Mallorca v Barcelona Match Result
There’s a 65% chance of Barcelona claiming a victory at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. Although Robert Lewandowski is a big miss, the Pole’s absence shouldn’t be felt too dearly. Lamine Yamal is on the Ballon d’Or shortlist after an excellent 2025 and the Spanish international might help the Catalan side to an impressive victory.
We’re sure to see Barca as a popular accumulator selection although there’s also the chance to back them in other ways. Should you think that Hansi Flick’s side will come out of the traps flying, then you might consider them to be leading at half-time and full-time. Back in December, the visitors ran riot in the same fixture and that points to history potentially repeating.
Ferran Torres gave the champions the lead on that occasion before Mallorca equalised. However, Raphinha was at the double, with Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor able to add some gloss to the scoreline. It was a pretty dominant performance considering that there were nine shots on target along with seven off target. That was in contrast to the solitary effort on goal from the home side.
Mallorca did keep things considerably tighter in the clash at the Nou Camp. A Dani Olmo ultimately ended up being the difference between the two sides. There’s also the fact that this fixture two seasons ago ended in a 2-2 draw where the home team took the lead on two occasions before being pegged back each time.
The best outcome for Mallorca is probably a draw and perhaps they will be able to blunt an attack who are missing their star forward. However, it’s hard to see them keeping their dangerous opponents at bay for the entirety of the clash.
Goals Under/Over
Over 2.5 Goals looks set to be a warm order in Spanish La Liga Bet Builders for this clash. According to the bookmakers, there’s a 62% chance of there being three goals or more being notched during the course of the game. On the flip side, there were six goals in this fixture last season along with a previous four being notched as part of that 2-2 draw.
However, Barcelona would be happy to edge this contest as they did when winning the most recent encounter by a single goal. Therefore, it could be that Hansi Flick’s side run a tight ship and perhaps don’t operate an expansive game plan in their opening clash.
Twelve months ago, Barca claimed a 2-1 win at Valencia in their opening clash. Indeed, their first seven La Liga games of the season featured three goals or more being scored. Three of these wins were by a 2-1 scoreline and perhaps that could be worth considering.
BTTS
Although Under 2.5 Goals is trading at a fairly short price, you can get bigger odds when it comes to BTTS Yes. It’s still marginally favourite compared to BTTS No, although there’s no certainty from the layers that either of these outcomes will happen. In Barcelona’s opening seven La Liga clashes last season, Hansi Flick’s side kept just one clean sheet.
This is an attack-minded side although we quite like the idea of a win for Barcelona along with BTTS Yes. This is an odds-against price and means that we simply want Mallorca to get one or two consolation goals. This won’t be an issue for the visitors providing that they’re able to outscore their opponents.
This isn’t a Barca side who taste many defeats. There were five straight wins to open the campaign last term and four of those victories were to nil. It would have been a profitable plan to back the Catalan side and BTTS Yes last term and we see no reason to desert that particular game plan this time around.
First Goalscorer
The absence of Robert Lewandowski brings a few of his team-mates into sharper focus. Marcus Rashford left Manchester United last season to join Aston Villa on loan and now looks set to start for Barcelona against Mallorca. The striker has always had plenty of class and can operate out wide or in a more central position.
Rashford might also be joined by Ferran Torres, with the latter having shaken off a knock to be available for this encounter. It might be that Dani Olmo is missing in action for this encounter and that could mean that Lamine Yamal is also worthy of consideration. The youngster could be on spot kicks for the visitors and a penalty is always a possibility.
Then we have Raphinha who scored eighteen times in Spanish La Liga last season and the Brazilian was able to bag a brace in the reverse fixture. The former Leeds player can now be truly described as world class and arguably offers a stronger scoring threat than Yamal who features on the other flank.