Barcelona will have the ambition to defend the La Liga championship after playing the Mallorca in another tough away game at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix. The team will probably play using 4-2-3-1 system with the management of coach Hansi Flick who has a strong backline plus a lively front line that can fill the gaps created by the star players.
Predicted Lineups
Mallorca (4-2-3-1): Roman, Morey, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica, Mascarell,, Morlanes, Asano, Darder, Torre and Muriqi.
Barca (4-2-3-1): Garcia, Balde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Kounde, Pedri, De Jong, Raphinha, Lopez, Lamine Yamal, Ferran.
In goal, new recruit Joan Garcia is ready to officially make his debut together with the club after long awaiting his registration to be implemented but there are doubts concerning the involvement of Marcus Rashford with registration still pending. Most probably Jules Kounde will play as right-back, flanked by Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubars, in the central positions, and in the left-back position, Alejandro Balde is set to be posted.
In India, when and where can I watch?
The match will begin at 11:00 PM IST and will be televised live on FanCode.
The two pivot comprising the duo of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong is likely to take centre stage in the three man midfield flanked by the forward line of the two Gavi and Ferran Torres. The attacking midfield slot is set to be filled by Fermin Lopez, with back up provided by Gavi and Marc Casado. Dani Olmo is also out with a minor injury problem. At the forefront, Barcelona have been affected by the injury of Robert Lewandowski who will not be available to appear in the opener. The three players that will lead the attack are assumed to be Lamine Yamal on the right, Raphinha on the left and Ferran Torres in the middle. Flick is optimistic about securing the domains of both Garc and Rashford in order to achieve a swelled depth of a squad and important flexibility of tactics. Mallorca, in their turn, lose Samu Costa because of injury but are still a difficult task at home, keen to thwart the defense of Barcelona title.
The side of Flick come into the match after having overpowered through a thrilling preseason, which includes a decisive win in the Joan Gamper Trophy, and is hoping to establish the tone to another successful season with a commanding start.
Also Read: New Coach, New Vibe: Khalid Jamil Assembles 22 Players For Bengaluru Bootcamp
