Real Mallorca however drew goalless with Racing Santander away to the Estadio El Sardinero on Wednesday night; but having been capable of humiliating Atletico Madrid 4-1 at home last weekend, Mallorca will be somewhat confident ahead of their task against Barcelona.
Real Mallorca - Their Shape
In their last 5 matches
Facts related to Mallorca’s last 5 games in La Liga presents inconsistency, but nevertheless, the Barralets have not been too unimpressive lately.
They seemed to be in bad form at the beginning of this year, but things began to be better for them when they beat Real Valladolid in their home 2-1 on February 28.
They went on to destroy an unconvincing Sporting Gijon side 3-0; but away to Getafe, they suffered a horrible nightmare, as they ironically lost 3-0 against the Madrid club.
The Ensaimada Mecánica bounced back a week later by crushing Atletico Madrid 4-1, and just Wednesday, Mallorca settled for a 0-0 draw with Racing Santander.
On one hand, one might conclude that – according to these facts – Mallorca don’t really have chances of beating Barcelona at the ONO Estadi this Saturday, but on the other hand, one might object this opinion, and here are a few reasons why.
The Bonuses
Real Mallorca did not have one of their players hit by a serious injury in their last encounter, and moreover, their list of players having yellow cards is almost empty; with Ivan Ramis appearing as the odd member.
Mallorca should normally be able to get at least a draw, should they handle Lionel Messi as well as Osasuna did in mid-week; but undoubtedly, if things turn out to happen ideally, then an upset could be their option.
Barcelona – Just before the Champions League
FC Barcelona will be using this game once again as a preparation for their Champions League clash taking place next week.
The Catalans face London favorites Arsenal at the Emirates on March 31, and therefore, injuries or strong penalizations are not things that they will allow to get on their way before the big moment.
Perhaps, the fact that Barca will be playing cautiously so as to let things go according to plan ahead of their Champions League match could serve as a plus for Mallorca, who already know how good their opponents are.
In any case, coach Guardiola would not want to sacrifice his league game this weekend in exchange with success against Arsenal next week; and consequently, the way he uses his stars including Lionel Messi, Pedro Rodriguez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi Hernandez, will be very important.
The Barcelona start-up remains unpredictable until now, but a victory will certainly be needed at all cost, as the Blaugrana face the danger of being 3 points behind leaders Real Madrid – if ever they fail to live up to expectations against Mallorca away from home.
La Liga Standings (Top 5) – March 26, 2010
Real Madrid – 71 points
Barcelona – 71 points
Valencia – 53 points
Mallorca – 47 points
Sevilla – 45 points
