Barca look to keep distance over Real Madrid with a win on Tuesday
After a wild comeback victory over Celta Vigo during the weekend, Barcelona’s loaded schedule continues with a visit from Mallorca on Tuesday afternoon. With La Liga in the balance, Hansi Flick will need to figure out rotation with the Copa del Rey final looming on Saturday. Barcelona will face Real Madrid in a Clasico, but only being ahead in La Liga by four points, they can’t look too far ahead.
This match will also be the first look at Barcelona without Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker has been on a tear, scoring 37 goals for Barcelona in all competitions this season but now will be out at least for their next three matches with a “left semitendinosus injury.” With both the Copa del Rey and Champions League semifinals coming up for Barcelona, they’ll need to figure out a way to set up the attack, which likely means Ferran Torres at the nine. Alongside Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, that’s still plenty for Barcelona to work with, but with so many matches in a short span of time, that’s where it can be tough as Flick can’t play his top guys for all 270 minutes or more upcoming.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch Barcelona vs. Mallorca and odds
- Date: Tuesday, April 22 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys — Barcelona, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Barcelona -450; Draw +525; Mallorca +1100
Storylines
Barcelona: With Lewandowski’s injury, Flick immediately backed Torres for the nine but is also concerned about the fitness of other players in the lead-up to the match. From midfielders like Frenkie De Jong and Pedri to even Yamal and Raphinha, there are critical pieces in the lineup that need to be fit for Barcelona to have a chance at winning the Copa del Rey, but first is Tuesday.
“He’s very important. That we also manage this. He’s in a very good moment in his career, he’s scored ten goals in La Liga. And I think nine is the right position for him,” Flick said about Torres. “What he shows though too, he’s a fast player, but he can also control the ball, give us [lots] when we defend. But we also have to manage him, because we need him until the end of the season.”
Mallorca sits seventh in the league behind their stout defense and could end up in a European place when it is all said and done which is why Barcelona will need to do their best to balance getting points with player safety.
Mallorca: Allowing one for fewer goals in eight of their last 10 matches says a lot bout how hard it is to score on Mallorca. While they have been easier to defeat away from home, a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad on April 12 shows that that could be changing. Facing Barcelona is an entirely different challenge and a team needs to be focused for more than 90 minutes, as Celta Vigo learned but if Mallorca wants to be in European competition, this is a chance to make some noise.
Predicted lineups
Barcelona: Wojciech Szczesny, Gerrard Martin, Pau Cubarsi, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha, Ferran Torres
Mallorca: Dominik Greif, Johan Mojica, Jose Copete, Antonio Raillo, Martin Valjent, Mateu Morey, Sergi Darder, Samu, Omar Mascarell, Antonio Sanchez, Cyle Larin
Prediction
Despite the loss of Lewandowski, there’s still so much talent in the Barcelona attack that Mallorca will find it hard to even get out of their own half. Even if they go behind, Barcelona’s mentality has shown time and time again that they can work their way back into any match which is why it’s tough to see anything but a comprehensive win at home. Pick: Barcelona 3, Mallorca 1
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