Mallorca vs Barcelona tips: Patient hosts to sneak past physical Los Piratas
Mallorca's Iberostar Stadium
Early pace-setters Barcelona will look to take advantage of Real Madrid’s slip-up when they face Mallorca on Tuesday.
Mallorca failed to secure any points in their most recent match against Girona on Saturday, despite scoring three goals. Javier Aguirre's team has only won once this season, 1-0 against Celta Vigo.
RCD Mallorca has only 5 points after 6 rounds, with a goal difference of -3 (7 goals scored, 10 goals conceded). This situation could worsen after their upcoming game against Barcelona.
Mallorca is a very aggressive team, having received 19 yellow cards so far this season, an average of almost four per game.
The Catalans were on the verge of their first defeat of the season last weekend but staged a spectacular comeback, scoring three goals in nine minutes to beat Celta Vigo.
To cap it all off, they finished the round in La Liga as the new leaders following Real Madrid’s loss to Atletico Madrid.
Suggested bet: Over 62.5 booking points
Barcelona have scored 16 goals and conceded only 6 so far this season, making them the joint-best attack in La Liga along with Girona.
Mallorca is yet to win a home game this season. They lost 0-1 to Villarreal and drew 0-0 with Bilbao. The fans are hoping for their first home win and goal of the season.
Last season Mallorca were a very good team when playing at home. The team won 10 games and had wins against the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.
Nevertheless, Mallorca’s last win at home against Barcelona came in 2009.
Barcelona's early-season struggles were largely due to their away form, which began with a goalless draw against Getafe in the first round.
Suggested bet: Barcelona win to nil
Following that, they trailed 3-2 away to Villareal before turning things around to produce a stunning 4-3 win.
Their most recent away game saw them beat Osasuna 2-1 with the winning goal coming from the penalty spot in the 86th minute.
There’s no doubt this will be extremely tough for Mallorca, but they will be presented with some chances if they’re adventurous enough to push forward.
Realistically, the hosts will look to stay organised and frustrate the visitors while waiting for their moment on the break, so don’t expect a goal fest.
