LA LIGA PREVIEW: MALLORCA VS BARCELONA

INTRODUCTION

Barcelona travel to the Balearic Islands in search of their next 3 points. The Catalans have been in imperious form in La Liga and will be confident going into this game. Xavi's men will want to shake off the perils of the international break and get back into rhythm for what looks to be a really intense October.

Mallorca, the hosts, have been inconsistent this season and while they've been able to find the back of the net in each of their last 5 games, they haven't been able to gather as much points as they'd like. They were able to scrape up a narrow win against Almeria at home before the break thanks to Pablo Maffeo's lone strike, but they'll be fully aware of the herculean task that lies ahead as it's Barcelona who have come to town this time around.

INTERESTING STATS

- Back in the 1999-2000 season, Mallorca beat Barça both home and away, but in 29 league meetings since then, Barça have only lost to the islanders three times (and twice at home), although all of those were late season encounters without too much left to play for. 

- Barcelona have won their last nine matches against RCD Mallorca in all competitions, having won 12 of their last 13 away games against the home side.

- Barcelona have scored at least three goals in their last five league matches and have have won nine of their last ten away matches (La Liga).

- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches (La Liga).

- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in five of their last six away matches against Mallorca in all competitions.

- Mallorca have won four of their last six games at home.

Last five meetings (all La Liga)

01/05/22 Barça 2-1 Mallorca

02/01/22 Mallorca 0-1 Barça

13/06/20 Mallorca 0-4 Barça

07/12/19 Barça 5-2 Mallorca

06/04/13 Barça 5-0 Mallorca

TEAM NEWS 

Mallorca

Javier Aguirre will be without Goalkeeper Dominik Greif (Hip Injury), Forwards Tino Kadewere (Quadriceps Injury) and Amath Ndiaye (Finger Injury). The coach will likely resist the temptation to make changes to the starting lineup that defeated Almeria. Predrag Rajkovic is expected to start in goal. The likes of Matija Nastasic, Antonio Raillo and Martin Valjent are expected to start in defense. 

Pablo Maffeo and Jaume Costa are very attack minded fullbacks but they might be required to do a lot of defending this time around and hope for a chance on the counter. In the central midfield, Rodrigo Battaglia is expected to line up alongside Antonio Sanchez and Dani Rodriguez.

Kang-in Lee has been superb this season, with 1 goal and 3 assists so far. His partner up front, Vedat Muriqi, has had 3 goals, all headers. Barcelona will have to ensure they're well contained.

Barcelona

International breaks are rarely kind to Barcelona, and this time was no different. The club quickly racked up the injuries, with Jules Koundé, Ronald Araújo, Frenkie DeJong and Memphis Depay all falling victims. Ousmane Dembele had a scare but he's been confirmed fit and ready.  Héctor Bellerín wasn't called up by Spain, but that didn't spare him the trip to the treatment room. Sergi Roberto has recovered from his injury and is part of the squad.  

Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Sergio Busquets and Ansu Fati are expected to return to the starting lineup. Robert Lewandowski is definitely expected to start and Raphinha will likely be chosen to complete the front line. Xavi will have the midweek game against Inter in mind and rotations are expected.

Where and when are Mallorca vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Stadium: Iberostar Estadi

Date: Saturday 1 October

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST

VAR: Santiago Jaime Latre

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano

CONCLUSION 

Despite being riddled with injuries, Barcelona are undoubtedly the better team going into this game, on paper and based on current form.  

Mallorca have struggled continuously against Barcelona in the past and will likely do so again. They took the lead against Real Madrid earlier in the season, but inevitably yielded.

Barcelona, La liga's most ruthless attack and tightest defense currently, should equally prove too hot to handle for the Islanders.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS ELCHE

INTRODUCTION

  Barcelona will aim to return back to winning ways when they host Elche on Saturday afternoon.

  The defeat in Munich was a wake up call for the Catalans, as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat despite going toe to toe with the Germans for most of the game. They were surprisingly blunt in attack, and Xavi will hope things change for the better as they return back to Laliga action.

  The visitors are in a bit of a pickle themselves, sitting 19th in the table with a solitary point to their name. They were battered by Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Club last weekend, and have conceded 13 goals while scoring 2 so far, but Francisco will hope to get his team's engine running as soon as possible.

INTERESTING STATS 

- Barcelona have an impressive record against Elche and have won 26 out of the 46 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Elche's eight victories.

- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 19 matches against Elche in La Liga, with their previous league defeat against the away side coming in 1974.

- Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 23 matches against Elche at home in La Liga, their best home record against a single opponent in the top flight.

- Elche are winless in their last five matches in La Liga and have lost their last three games in the competition - their longest losing steak since 2014.

- Barcelona have kept clean sheets in their last three La Liga matches - they have not kept four consecutive league matches in the competition since 2020.

- Barcelona have secured 13 points in their first five La Liga matches this season - their best start to the campaign since the 2018-19 season

Last five meetings

06/03/22 (LIGA) Elche 1 FC Barcelona 2 (Torres, Memphis)

18/12/21 (LIGA) FC Barcelona 3 (Jutglà, Gavi, Nico) Elche 2

24/02/21 (LIGA) FC Barcelona 3 Elche 0 (Messi 2, Alba)

24/01/21 (LIGA) Elche 0 FC Barcelona 2 (De Jong, Puig)

19/09/20 (GAMPER) FC Barcelona 1 (Griezmann) Elche 0

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

  Sergi Roberto has picked up an Achilles injury and has been ruled out of this clash.

Every other player is available for Xavi. Bellerin, Balde, DeJong, Kessie and Garcia are all pushing for starting spots and alterations are expected.  Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati are also considered to potentially be in the starting lineup. Robert Lewandowski will want to get over his profligacy in front of goal as exhibited in Munich as soon as possible.

Elche

  Los Franjiverdes will be without  Gonzalo Verdou and Gerard Gumbau through groin and hamstring injuries respectively.

Omar Mascarell is also a doubt.

Barcelona player Alex Collado is sure to relish taking on his former club, while Ezequiel Ponce and Fidel are also tipped to start.

Where are Barcelona vs Elche playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium: Spotify Camp Nou

Date: Saturday 17 September

Kick-off Time: 15:15 BST / 10:15 EST / 07:15 PST

VAR: González Gonzàlez

Referee: Alejandro Muniz

CONCLUSION

Elche were close to causing an upset the last time they visited Camp Nou, but it's hard to see them doing so this time around. Barcelona will want to bounce back from their European disappointment in a big way, and they'll aim to make it 5  comfortable la Liga wins in a row. 

UCL PREVIEW: BAYERN MUNICH VS BARCELONA

INTRODUCTION

  The Catalan giants travel to Munich for their biggest test of the season: to do battle with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. It's a fixture that conjures up lots of emotions for the Blaugrana, this time though, it's more of excitement than terror. 

  Barcelona are in far better shape than a year ago, so this fixture might not be as straightforward as the recent ones. They've began the season well, scoring freely and keeping it tight at the back. Now's a good a time as any to review their European credentials against one of, if not the toughest opponent out there right now.

  The Bavarians, formidable as they are, have had a bit of hiccup lately in Bundesliga, with three consecutive draws. Their defense has been somewhat clumsy of late, but their attacking power is to be feared just as much as ever, even without now Barcelona striker, Robert Lewandowski. Their upper hand in this fixture historically gives them an edge, but even they know that it won't be so easy this time around.

INTERESTING STATS 

- This fixtures been played Eleven times officially. Bayern Munich have won eight of them, drawing one, losing two.

- Bayern are undefeated in 30 of their last 32 matches in the Champions League.

- Bayern have scored at least 3 goals in their last 4 matches against Barcelona in all competitions.

- Bayern have won 7 of their last 8 matches against Barcelona in all competitions.

- Barcelona have won their last 5 games in all competitions. 

- Barcelona have been losing at half-time and full-time in their last 3 games against Bayern Munich in all competitions.

TEAM NEWS

BAYERN MUNICH 

Bayern Munich will be without Kingsley Coman (Hamstring) and Bouna Share (Tendon). Sane, Mane, Pavard and Hernandez were ewsted against Stuttgart and so are expected back in the starting XI.

Pavard and Hernandez are to come in for Mazraoui and Upamecano respectively; Sabitzer is rumored to be preferred to Goretzka alongside Kimmich at the base of midfield, Gnabry is expected to replace Coman and star alongside Mane and Sane in attack. Muller and Neuer are no brainers.

BARCELONA

  Unless there are any late issues, Barcelona have no injury concerns. Sergi Roberto, despite his Injury scare against Plzen, has been included in the starting lineup.

  Xavi was able to rotate against Cádiz, with Dembele, Pedri and Lewandowski coming off the bench to kill off the game, while Garcia and Kounde sat it out all together. All are expected to be back in the starting XI.

Kounde is expected to start at RB, with Araujo, Garcia and Balde completing the backline to Shield TerStegen. Pedri, Busquets and perhaps Gavi will take part in the midfield battle, while Lewandowski is expected to be flanked by Dembele and Raphinha, though Fati for the Brazilian might not be surprising.

Where is Bayern vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Munich, Germany 

Stadium: Allianz Arena 

Date: Tuesday 13 September

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12 PST

VAR: Pol van Boekel

Referee: Danny Makkelie

CONCLUSION

This will be the biggest test of the season yet for both teams; Bayern Munich are expected to be their usual selves, so a win for them won't be a surprise.

However, it'll be a mistake by the Germans to write off a vibrant, confident Barcelona side that is coming into this tie on the back of a good run of form, a point to prove and vengeance on their minds. Plus, going by current form, a surprise result in the form of a Barça win cannot be ruled out completely.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: CÁDIZ VS BARCELONA

INTRODUCTION

  Barcelona travel to Andalusia once again for their fifth game of the season. This time, they visit Cádiz.

Even though the Catalan outfit has been on the up since the start of the season, coming into this game on the back of a 5-1 drubbing of Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, they'll want to approach this match with all gusto, given that they've failed to dominate this fixture in the past couple of years.

  Cádiz are currently rock bottom of the league. No single goal, no points. It's been an abysmal start to the season for Sergio Gonzalez's men, but having earned the status of 'Barcelona's bogey team' in recent times, they might have some confidence coming into this game, although that'll likely not be enough.

INTERESTING STATS 🔢

-Cádiz are unbeaten against Barcelona in their last four La Liga clashes.

-Cadiz have failed to score in their last 4 matches in La Liga.

-Cadiz have conceded at least 2 goals in their last 3 matches.

-Barcelona are undefeated in their last 17 away matches in La Liga.

-Barcelona have won with at least a 3-goal margin in their last 3 matches in La Liga.

Last five meetings (all in La Liga)

2006-04-29 Barça 1-0 Cádiz

2020-12-05 Cádiz 2-1 Barça

2021-02-21 Barça 1-1 Cádiz

2021-09-23 Cádiz 0-0 Barça

2022-04-18 Barça 0-1 Cádiz

TEAM NEWS 📰

Cádiz

  Jon Ander Garrido will be out again with a knee problem, while Ruben Alcarez remains doubtful about the clash. Other than that, Sergio Gonzalez's team are in decent shape.

  Lucas Perez, Alex and Ruben Sobrino are tipped to be in the starting XI, with Lozano and Ocampo probably making way. Gonzalez is expected to line them up in his favored 4-1-4-1.

Barcelona

  Sergi Roberto was subbed off at halftime in the midweek game, but injury concerns have been played down by all, even though he wasn't called up for this game. Héctor Bellerín and Marcos Alonso could very well see their first minutes in Barcelona colours.

  Xavi is expected to recall some names that sat out the game against Plzen, like Raphinha, Gavi, Araujo, Balde, Garcia and Busquets. Pedri and Dembele might be given a rest, with the class in Munich firmly on Xavi's mind for sure.

Where are Cadiz vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Cadiz, Spain

Stadium: Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla

Date: Saturday 10 September

Kick-off Time: 17:30 BST / 12:30 EST / 09:30 PST

VAR: Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva

Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande

CONCLUSION 

  As earlier mentioned, Cádiz will take comfort in their recent form against Barcelona, but it is expected that that would do very little to stop a rampant Barcelona side who look ready to mow down anyone who crosses them, especially a team they've struggled against in recent times.  

  Sergio Gonzalez's quest for revival might have to tarry another week as a comfortable victory for the visitors is expected here.

UCL PREVIEW: BARCELONA VS VIKTORIA PLZEN

INTRODUCTION

  Barcelona welcome the reigning Czech champions to the Spotify Camp Nou for their first game of the Champions League season.

  It was a disastrous showing the last time out for the Catalans, scoring only two goals in the group stages (Fati and Pique v Dynamo Kyiv), while conceding nine and having to face the shame of dropping to the Europa League, where they bowed out in the QFs against Eintracht Frankurt.

  The club however, was able to give the squad a facelift more or less over the summer, including bringing in the ever clinical Robert Lewandowski. As such, no one should think of Barcelona as Shrinking Violets this time around.

  Looking forward, they'll aim to get their campaign on a bright note as wins against the Czech outfit could prove crucial in the famed 'Group of Death'.

  Viktoria Plzen qualified for this seaon's edition of the Champions League by going unbeaten all their matches in the qualifying rounds. The club has participated in five seasons of UEFA club competitions, including two seasons in the UCL, three seasons in the UEFA Cup and UEL and one season in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They've played 42 UEFA matches, resulting in 24 wins, 6 draws and 12 defeats.

  They're the reigning champions of the Czech first League. They've been unbeaten in their last 13 games in all competitions (10W, 3D), their last defeat occuring in July. Nevertheless, they'll be going into this competition as massive Underdogs.

INTERESTING STATS

  This will be the second time both clubs are facing each other in the group stages of the competition and the 3rd (and subsequently 4th) time overall.

  Barcelona emerged victorious over both legs when they met in the 11/12 season, winning 6-0 on aggregate.

LAST TWO MEETINGS 

19/10/11 - Barcelona 2-0 Viktoria Plzen

                     ( Iniesta, Villa)

1/11/11  -  Viktoria Plzen 0-4 Barcelona

                       (Messi x3, Fabregas)

TEAM NEWS

  Barcelona have a fully fit squad to choose from. Xavi is so spoilt for choice that it's believed that he'll rotate considerably, keeping upcoming games against Cadiz, Bayern Munich and Elche in mind.

  Garcia, Gavi and Dembele, who all played key roles in the victory againt Sevilla a few days ago, are rumored to make way for Christensen, DeJong and Torres. Alba, Pique, Memphis, Kessie and of course Fati could also get sizeable minutes.

  As for Plzen, Petr Pejsa is a long-term absentee due to knee injury, but the visitors are otherwise in good shape. Plzen often line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and that should again be the case for this match, with Jan Sykora, who scored in their 1-0 away win on Saturday in the league, set to feature as the number 10.

Where are Barcelona vs Viktoria Plzen playing?

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Stadium:  Spotify Camp Nou  

Date: Wednesday, 7 September

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST

VAR: Benoît Millot 

Referee: Lawrence Visser

CONCLUSION

  Barcelona is still a work in progress, but they've shown massive improvement over their first 4 domestic games, scoring 11 and conceding 1.

  Viktoria Plzen were outdone by the best Barcelona side in history over a decade ago and will need nothing short of a miracle to get something out of this game.

Barcelona are the far better team on paper and are expected to cart away with a comfortable victory.

LA LIGA PREVIEW: SEVILLA VS BARCELONA

INTRODUCTION

  A somewhat high flying Barcelona travel to the Estádio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to do battle with an off colour Sevilla on Matchday 4 in La Liga.

  The Catalans have earned 7 points out of a possible 9 so far, winning their last two games in typical Barcelona fashion. With the transfer window finally shut, Barça begin a brutal schedule with one of the toughest away games of the season.

  The season has not began for Sevilla as well as they'd have hoped, drawing one and losing two. This is largely due to their defensive frailties after losing the formidable pair of Koundé (to Barcelona) and Carlos (to Aston Villa). That being said, they can and should never be taken for granted. It's expected that they'll create some fireworks against Barcelona in Andalusia.

INTERESTING STATS

 Considering the Sevilla of recent years is one of the strongest ever, Barça have had some extraordinarily good results against them.

 They have only lost three times to the Andalusians in their last 35 meetings across all competitions.

 In La Liga, Barça have now gone for 13 games without losing to Sevilla either at home or away. The Catalans have won three of the last six league games at the Sánchez Pizjuán, and the other three games ended in draws.

LAST TEN MEETINGS

03/04/22 (LIGA) Barça 1 Sevilla 0

21/12/21 (LIGA) Sevilla 1 Barça 1

03/03/21 (C DEL REY) Barça 3 Sevilla 0

27/02/21 (LIGA) Sevilla 0 Barça 2

10/02/21 (C DEL REY) Sevilla 2 Barça 0

04/10/20 (LIGA) Barça 1 (Coutinho) Sevilla 1

19/06/20 (LIGA) Sevilla 0 Barça 0

06/10/19 (LIGA) Barça 4 (Suárez, Vidal, Dembélé, Messi) Sevilla 0

23/02/19 (LIGA) Sevilla 2 Barça 4 (Messi 3, Suárez)

30/01/19 (C DEL REY) Barça 6 Coutinho 2, Rakitic, S Roberto, Suárez, Messi) Sevilla 1

TEAM NEWS

  Xavi has a very strong squad to call upon for this fixture. 

  Hector Bellerin and Marcos Alonso, having joined on deadline day, will not be part of the squad. Andreas Christensen had recovered from illness and will be available for selection. With the Champions League opener against Viktoria Plzen on the horizon, Xavi might be tempted to rotate.

  Sevilla will be without Marcao, Jesus Corona and Karim Rekik due to injuries. New signing Adrian Januzaj has also been left out. Marcos Acuna will be available for selection after returning from Suspension and is expect to unseat Alex Telles as LB.

  New signings Isco and Kasper Dolberg are expect to make am appearance at some point in the game. Former Barcelona man Ivan Rakitic is expect to command their midfield. Lucas Ocampos will have no part to play in this fixture as his move to Ajax has been confirmed.

  It's not going to get any easier for Sevilla as they will be expecting Manchester City in a few days time for their Champions League opener.

Where are Sevilla vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Seville, Spain

Stadium: Estádio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán 

Date: Saturday 3 September

Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST

VAR: Gil Manzano

Referee: Mateu Lahoz

CONCLUSION

  Sevilla are not in the best form coming into this game and with the clash against Manchester City looking over their shoulders, they'll be under immense pressure to get this one right. As such, they shouldn't be taken for granted. Ever.

  FC Barcelona however, will be ready to pile on the misery on the Seville outfit. This is a chance for a vibrant Barcelona attack to pounce and wreak havoc at the Pizjuán. 

  Playing in Seville is never easy, but now's a good a time as any to do so. Barcelona have so much talent, and we are expecting Xavi's side to make it three straight wins in relatively comfortable fashion considering the difficulty of the match. 

LFG 🔵🔴⚽🏟️