Soccer Spain LaLiga Prediction

Barcelona vs Mallorca - Match Preview

⚽ 28 May 2023 - 17:00 GMT +0

Newly-crowned La Liga (LL) champions Barcelona fell to a 3-1 loss at Real Valladolid on Tuesday, their second straight defeat after winning the title. Coach Xavi blamed it on a lack of motivation, hinting “It’s difficult to prepare for these matches” but the prospect of losing three straight league games for the first time since April 2016 could get them back on track.

That sequence was also the last time Barça lost consecutive home league games, a fate that’s staring in their face after losing to Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou last Sunday. While the fans still rejoice in their first league title since 2019, concerns over finishing the campaign with a whimper reign supreme as the Catalans have lost their last home match of a league campaign for three seasons in a row!

Extending that record would please the visiting dugout but mid-table Mallorca haven’t won an away league H2H here since May 2008 (D1, L6), while their record of ten straight LL losses to Barça anywhere - including a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture - hardly inspires confidence. Dampening their chances further, the visiting coach Javier Aguirre is dealing with an injury crisis, confessing after their win over Valencia he has “ten players to train with four from the reserves”.

A first top-half LL finish since 2011/12 is still within reach, but would require Mallorca to address the worst travelling record in the division since Christmas, as the Pirates have lost nine of their last 11 league trips (W1, D1) raising doubts that they can break their long-standing Camp Nou drought.

📋 Players to watch: Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen could equal the all-time LL record (26) for clean sheets in a campaign here but hasn’t had a shutout in two home H2Hs. Mallorca’s top scorer, Vedat Muriqi, may fancy his chances of spoiling Ter Stegen’s chances, having netted on his latest visit to this city against Espanyol.

⚡ Hot streak: Mallorca has conceded the match opener in 14 consecutive league H2Hs.