Barcelona start their protection of the La Liga title this Saturday after they journey to stunning Palma de Mallorca to face Actual Mallorca at Son Moix of their season debut.
Barça had a really profitable preseason with 4 dominant wins, however it is a actual step up in competitors because the Catalans go to one of many hardest grounds in Spain to fulfill a really gifted and well-coached squad that at all times performs Barça robust and can be hungry to start out their season with an enormous upset in opposition to the home treble winners.
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Right here’s how we predict Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Saturday’s battle.
Protection
Barça’s success final season was constructed on a high-risk, high-reward defensive technique that labored wonders due to their offside lure and the sensible particular person play of their 4 predominant starters in Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martinez and Alejandro Balde. Iñigo is now gone, and changing him won’t be a simple process.
Ronald Araujo will doubtless be the primary option to companion Cubarsí within the opening weeks of the season, however a wholesome Andreas Christensen will present huge competitors for the Uruguayan. Eric García had a superb preseason and has been tipped by some to start out forward of Kounde, however we predict the Frenchman will return to his rightful beginning spot at right-back, with Araujo, Cubarsí and Balde rounding out the again 4 forward of Joan Garcia, whose registration needs to be full in time to make his official debut as Barça’s new primary.
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Midfield
Barça’s midfield depth may very effectively be the important thing to a different profitable season so long as Flick is extra prepared to rotate his squad and reap the benefits of all of the great choices at his disposal in the midst of the park. We all know that Pedri can be an undisputed starter all season so long as he’s wholesome, however everybody else is actually competing for the opposite two spots in midfield.
Frenkie de Jong will doubtless start the marketing campaign as Pedri’s companion within the double pivot, however Gavi seemed each bit like his pre-injury self in preseason and can struggle for his spot, and Marc Casadó is wholesome once more and was at all times a high-level performer final season. Marc Bernal may also return to the fold quickly, and Dani Olmo is aware of his spot as Barça’s quantity 10 won’t ever be assured so long as Fermín López is round.
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In truth, due to Olmo’s minor damage that brought about him to overlook the Joan Gamper Trophy and due to Fermín’s sensible efficiency in that sport, we predict López will begin this one as the ten in entrance of a Frenkie-Pedri double pivot.
Assault
Robert Lewandowski is anticipated to overlook the primary few weeks of Barça’s season attributable to a hamstring damage and Marcus Rashford’s standing for the opener continues to be not official as of this writing, so for now that leaves solely three choices for the entrance three: Lamine Yamal on the best, Raphinha on the left, and Ferran Torres up entrance. That might find yourself being Barça’s beginning assault for a lot of video games this season if the stories of a decreased function for Lewandowski are certainly true, and Ferran has an enormous alternative to make an early assertion relating to his place within the ‘Gala XI‘.
Attainable XI: Garcia; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Ferran (4-2-3-1)
How do you assume Barcelona ought to line up in opposition to Mallorca? Tell us your ideas, predictions and groups within the feedback beneath!