RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona will make their league debut this Saturday, August 16 at Son Moix Stadium at 7:30 p.m. (mainland time). The home side want to repeat that first half of the season in which they earned 30 points in 19 matches, while the visitors want to start off on the right foot.
How Mallorca arrive
The Bermellón team will start its league campaign at home, after a preseason that had a bit of everything. Arrasate's side have won four matches against lower-ranked opponents, drew against Parma, and suffered a heavy defeat against Olympique de Lyon after losing 0-4. As a curious fact, Mallorca will wear a special jersey for this match, changing the main sponsor (GELPIYO instead of AlphaGel).
The former Rojillo coach has commented that, in order to get something positive, they need to get close to excellence because of the opponent they'll face. Regarding the controversial match that could be played in Miami, he agrees with Iñigo's words, since complaining without doing anything makes protesting of little use. As for the squad list, he has announced that Larin and Maffeo seem set to leave the club, as well as Daniel Luna, so they won't be available to play.
Jagoba will field an XI very similar to the one that beat Hamburg, with the question of whether Mascarell will take the place of the injured Samu Costa. Pablo Torre will be in the starting line-up; the former Culé arrived at Mallorca this transfer window looking for playing time. Asano will join the Cantabrian and up front Muriqi; the Kosovar "pirate" renewed his contract a few weeks ago.
How Barça arrive
Barça will begin its title defense against Mallorca, marking the first time they've faced each other on the opening matchday of the league. The only doubts for the Catalan team are in the registrations, since Joan García seems certain, but Rashford's presence appears more complicated. In terms of play, Flick has kept that 4-2-3-1 during preseason, with high pressing and Lamine as the attacking reference for another year.
Regarding the pre-match press conference, Flick admitted he isn't sure about the starting XI, since he's very pleased with the competitiveness in the current squad. As a result, he confirmed there won't be any signings after Iñigo's departure, since Gerard Martín can fill that position. He also took the opportunity to talk about Fermín, a player who has improved in recent weeks, since at the start of preseason he wasn't very happy.
As for the XI, the Andalusian attacking midfielder seems to have an edge over Dani Olmo, since the latter has had some muscle issues. The goal will go to Joan García, Ferran will join Raphinha and Lamine (Lewandowski is out), but the big question in the XI is in defense. After Iñigo Martínez's departure, Cubarsí must find a new "dance partner", a spot contested by both Araujo and Christensen.
Match data
Stadium:Mallorca Son Moix
Time:7:30 p.m. CET
Referee:José Luis Munuera Montero
The stat:Barcelona are unbeaten in 18 matches against Mallorca; the last Mallorca win was in 2019.