Barcelona Keen to Keep La Liga Dominance Going After the Break

Mallorca vs Barcelona

Barcelona are ready to return to action after the international break and will be looking to keep up the pressure on rivals Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings.

Barca were in the midst of a brilliant winning run before the break, and they will be keen to continue their dominance against newly promoted Mallorca.

Mallorca are off to a decent start to the season as they lie in 10^th in La Liga. However, they have already been on the receiving end of a beatdown from one of the Spanish giants, and the La Liga 2022 betting odds will not be in their favour against in-form Barca.

Talking Points

Barcelona brushing foes aside

Barcelona may be second to Real Madrid in La Liga, but they are without a doubt the most in-form side in Spain at the moment. They are on a dominant five-game winning streak where they’ve scored a remarkable 20 goals and have conceded just one.

Robert Lewandowski has led the way up front with eight goals during that five-game winning run. He was unable to hit the target in both Nations League games for Poland during the international break, so he will be desperate to get back to his goalscoring ways in the league.

Meanwhile, the Barcelona defence has been surprisingly strong. They have conceded just one goal all season, which leads La Liga.

Although, it should be noted that three of their wins were against the sides currently in the relegation zone – Real Valladolid, Cadiz and Elche – who have scored just six goals between them this season.

Barcelona banged up after the break

La Liga: Barcelona player Raphinha recently scored a brace in Brazil’s 5-1 win over Tunisia — Barcelona’s Raphinha in action with Cadiz’s Luis Alfonso Espino during a La Liga match at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla

Barcelona had quite a bad international break as several of their players picked up injuries. Their defence was hit particularly hard as both Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde picked up injuries that will keep them out for several weeks.

Hector Bellerin is expected to fill in for Kounde at right-back, while Andreas Christensen looks set to step in for Araujo alongside Eric Garcia.

But aside from those two defenders, the Dutch duo of Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay also suffered hamstring injuries during the Nations League, which could see both miss out this weekend.

Luckily, Barca have decent depth in midfield and up front to weather the absence of the two Dutchmen. The Spanish trio of Sergio Busquets, Pedri, and Gavi are expected to start, with Franck Kessie in reserve. Meanwhile, Raphinha – who scored a brace in Brazil’s 5-1 win over Tunisia – and Ansu Fati are strong options to start on the wing.

Mallorca off to a decent start

After just about surviving their first season back in La Liga, Mallorca are off to a good start in their second season. They are in mid-table with eight points from their first six games after two wins, two draws, and two defeats.

Javier Aguirre’s side, who conceded 63 goals last season (third-most in the league), have tightened up a bit at the back with just seven goals conceded in six games. Although, four of those goals came in a 4-1 beating at the hands of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu and two were in a 2-1 defeat to Real Betis. Both of Betis’ goals came from the penalty spot.

That means Mallorca have conceded just one goal (which was also a penalty) in their other four games with three clean sheets, which is a decent record.

Mallorca had a tough time finding goals last season; they scored the fourth-fewest goals (36) with their leading scorers (Vedat Muriqi and Salva Sevilla) getting just five each.

They still haven’t completely solved that problem as they have just six goals in six games. But Muriqi has been providing La Liga 2022 highlights with three goals already through six games.

History

Barcelona have beat up on Mallorca over the years. They have won 13 of their last 16 meetings, with Mallorca winning just twice. The Catalans are unbeaten in 12 consecutive games against Mallorca, with 11 wins and just one draw.

Barca did the double over Mallorca last season on their return to La Liga. Although, both were just by a single goal. Barca win 1-0 at Mallorca thanks to a Luuk de Jong goal, then won 2-1 at the Camp Nou with goals from Memphis Depay and Sergio Busquets.