Barcelona endured a disappointing first half to the Spanish La Liga season and will be looking to make a fresh start in the new year. Their first fixture of 2022 is against Real Mallorca, who have struggled this term.
Real Mallorca struggled during the first half of the season and spent much of their time in the bottom half of the table. Sitting five points above the relegation zone, the task in the new year will be to put more daylight between themselves and the bottom three.
Luis Garcia’s men head into Sunday’s clash with just one win from their last 10 La Liga matches. They suffered a 4-1 defeat at Granada in their previous fixture with Dani Rodriguez's first half effort proving to be a mere consolation.
Real Mallorca have also found things difficult at home and are winless in their last four matches at the Visit Mallorca Stadium.
It was a torrid first half of the season for Barcelona as they were plagued by off field issues and financial problems. On the field, the Catalans failed to progress to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League and are currently seventh in La Liga.
Those problems led to the sack of Ronald Koeman and the appointment of club legend Xavi. However, things have not been particularly smooth for the former midfielder with Barcelona still struggling to find their best form.
Barcelona showed flashes of their quality towards the end of 2021 and have already started strengthening the squad with the acquisition of Ferran Torres from Manchester City. They are also unbeaten in their last four away matches with a 3-1 victory at Villarreal and a 1-1 draw at Sevilla among their results in that run.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have the upper hand among the bookies at 7/6 with Vbet while a victory for Real Mallorca is priced at 14/5 with betfair. A draw is set at odds of 12/5 with William Hill.
Head to head
Barcelona have a 24-7 advantage with five draws from 36 previous matches against Real Mallorca. The Catalans have won the last seven meetings and claimed a 4-0 victory on their last trip to the Visit Mallorca Stadium.
Players to watch
Real Mallorca have spread their goals across the team with much of their efforts coming from midfield. Dani Rodriguez has found the net three times this season and is priced at 19/4 with Unibet.
In the midst of Barcelona’s problems in the half of the season, Memphis Depay has remained a shining light. The Dutch forward has eight La Liga goals this season and is priced at 6/4 with betway to find the net on Sunday.
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been over 3.5 goals in three of Barcelona’s last four away matches in La Liga and a repeat could be considered at 5/2 with Unibet. Over 2.5 goals is valued at 66/67 with SBK while both teams could be tipped to score at 4/5 with William Hill.
Barcelona have scored the opening goal in three of their last four away matches in La Liga and could be tipped to score first at 4/5 with MansionBet.
This La Liga match between Real Mallorca and Barcelona will be played on Jan 2, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Mallorca vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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