Barça begins its defense of its league title in Mallorca
The 'culers' arrive at Son Moix awaiting registrations
BARCELONA, 15 (EUROPA PRESS)
FC Barcelona visits RCD Mallorca this Saturday (7:30 p.m.) at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, in the match corresponding to the first day of LaLiga EA Sports, a competition in which the Blaugranas will try to start on the right foot and thus take the first step towards revalidating the title won last season, although to do so they will have to defeat the Mallorcan team, who hope to give their fans their first joy of the season.
Hansi Flick's players won't have an easy debut, as they will have to visit a difficult ground like Son Moix to kick off the La Liga season. They will face Jagoba Arrasate's Mallorca, who is hoping to improve on last season's tenth-place finish, which was the Biscayan coach's first season in charge of the Balearic team.
The German coach's team, who is also in his second year as a Barça player, is heading into this difficult league debut in top form, following a perfect preseason that culminated last Sunday with a resounding 5-0 victory over Cesc Fàbregas' Como 1907. The Barça side has left a strong impression in their preparation friendlies and now hopes to confirm that impression in this first competitive match of the season.
For this opening clash, Flick will be able to count on new Blaugrana goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who was registered this Thursday after the La Liga Medical Commission recognized captain Marc-André ter Stegen's injury as long-term, following back surgery. The Catalan goalkeeper will make his official debut in his new shirt this Saturday, as are expected to the two other new signings, Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji, although they have not yet been registered, as well as Wojciech Szczesny and Gerard Martín. Hence, the club has been looking more to the offices than to the pitch during this hectic week.
These are the three signings Barça have made in their bid to retain their La Liga title, something they haven't achieved since the 2018-19 season with Ernesto Valverde at the helm. Flick will be without Iñigo Martínez, who was a key player in the club's victory and who left the Blaugrana to sign for Al-Nassr on a free transfer, a surprise move that will help the club in its bid to achieve financial fair play.
The absence of the Basque center-back creates a gap in the German coach's starting lineup, which is expected to be filled by Uruguayan Ronald Araujo, as was the case last Sunday in the Joan Gamper Trophy. Another unknown is the center-forward position, as Robert Lewandowski is practically ruled out after failing to recover from a hamstring injury in his left thigh.
His place will presumably be taken by Ferran Torres, although Marcus Rashford was the chosen one for last Sunday's match against Como. Fermín López is expected to start in the attacking midfield after scoring twice in the clash with the Italian team, with Dani Olmo available after recovering from a muscle strain and able to train with the group, although somewhat lacking in rhythm.
Mallorca will also have notable absences. Portuguese midfielder Samu Costa will be unavailable after suffering a bruise with swelling in his left knee. Furthermore, Jagoba Arrasate has dropped Pablo Maffeo, Cyle Larin, and Daniel Luna from the squad, opening the door for their departures and leaving them out of the match against the Blaugrana club.
In terms of signings, the most notable is that of Spanish attacking midfielder Pablo Torre, who left Barcelona this summer and will face his former teammates, threatening to comply with the "ex" rule. In addition, the Mallorcan club signed goalkeeper Lucas Bergström on a free transfer and secured the loan of striker Mateo Joseph, although the latter two are not expected to start against the Catalan side.
Jagoba Arrasate's team will once again have Vedat Muriqi and Sergi Darder as their key players for another season, aiming to start the season by securing their first three points. They will face Barça, which will begin its title defense this Saturday and will try to emulate last season's start, in which it won its first seven matches until losing 4-2 to CA Osasuna.
Barça took longer to visit Mallorca last season, but in December they won by a narrow margin (1-5) on the Balearic island, and in the second half of the season, a single goal from Dani Olmo (1-0) was enough to secure another three points against Arrasate's team. So in Mallorca, while it remains to be seen which players will be eligible to play in the first leg, they are keen to face a champion Barça who must start their title defense strongly.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–POSSIBLE LINEUPS.
RCD MALLORCA: Leo Román; Morey, Raíllo, Valjent, Mojica; Mascarell, Morlanes, Asano, Darder, Pablo Torre; and Muriqi.
FC BARCELONA: Joan Garcia; Koundé, Cubarsí, Araujo, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; and Ferran Torres.
–REFEREE: To be determined.
–STADIUM: Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
–TIME: 7:30 PM/Movistar LaLiga.
