Matchday 7
Xavi’s men are looking to get off to a good start in a frenetic month with nine games and the Clásico in between
Start the marathon on the right foot. That is the objective that Barcelona has set in mind for its visit to Mallorca this Saturday. The team led by Xavi Hernández starts the month of October, in which they will have to play up to nine games, with a trick start after a national team break that has been a real nightmare for the Catalans. Ronald Araujo, Jules Koundé, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay have been the victims of a ‘FIFA virus’ that has wreaked havoc and threatens to stop the triumphant streak of five consecutive victories that the Catalans are going through.
«It will be a difficult game, away from home and against a rival with soul and personality, similar to their coach. Aguirre always gets a lot out of his teams, it won’t be easy and after selection it has always cost us historically. We have to get the three points”, assured Xavi in the press conference prior to the match that measures his team against Mallorca. The Tarrasa coach is aware of the importance of putting aside the commitments of the national teams and maintaining the good dynamics prior to the break to face a most demanding calendar with guarantees.
And it is that against Mallorca the starting signal will be given to a real marathon before the World Cup. There will be no more breaks, just games and more games for a team that hopes to reach their particular Everest in a great moment. «The calendar is organized like this and we have to adapt. It is an important part of the season, there are twelve games before the World Cup, eight in the League and four in the Champions League that will be transcendent”, said Xavi, knowing that a key moment in the season is coming.
To get off to a good start, Xavi will have to overcome a ‘FIFA virus’ that has taken Araujo ahead of a tackle, who underwent surgery on Wednesday in Finland for his adductor injury, Koundé, Memphis and Frenkie de Jong. To these absences are added those of Héctor Bellerín and Sergi Roberto, players who have noticed discomfort during the week in Barcelona and who will not be in Mallorca. All these casualties will condition an eleven in which the Tarrasa coach prepares changes to avoid the accumulation of games and in which the great novelties could be Marcos Alonso on the left-hand side, Piqué in the defense, Kessié in midfield and Ansu Fati, that he will have a new opportunity to show that his physical problems are history, in attack.
A rival ‘made in’ Aguirre
It won’t be an easy match for Barcelona and it won’t be mainly because there will be a coach opposite who knows how to equalize matches like few others. Javier Aguirre has built a Mallorca in his image and likeness, with a group of players who closely follow his proposals and who see in the numbers the reward for all that work. The vermilions were saved ‘in extremis’ last season and this year they have already shown signs of being a difficult team to beat. They have only conceded seven goals so far in the league and they conceded four against Real Madrid in a duel in which they went ahead on the scoreboard and in which they made it to the final stretch alive.
That match, in which they stood up to the current champion at the Santiago Bernabéu, is the mirror in which Javier Aguirre looks to play a match in which he will not be able to count on Greif, Kadewere and Ndiaye due to injury. They are the only absences in a team in which Baba and Muriqi will finally be, despite having arrived with discomfort from international commitments, and in which optimism reigns to give the bell against one of the favorites for the title. “It’s very difficult to get your hands on them, but you always have the hope that they make a mistake in a set piece or in a counterattack,” said the Mexican coach.
Likely lineups
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Majorca:
Rajkovic, Jaume Costa, Raíllo, Copete, Valjent, Maffeo, Grenier, Ruiz de Galarreta, Antonio Sánchez, Kang-in Lee and Muriqi. -
Barcelona:
Ter Stegen, Eric García, Piqué, Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Busquets, Kessié, Gavi, Raphinha, Lewandowski and Ansu Fati. -
Referee:
Gil Manzano (Extremeño Committee). -
Hour:
9:00 p.m. -
Stadium:
They are Moix. -
TV:
Movistar LaLiga.
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