Mallorca take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 1 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, August 16th at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix (Palma de Mallorca).
Mallorca will try to keep progressing. Under their previous coach, Aguirre, Los Bermellones stopped yo-yoing between La Liga and Segunda, and last season they even reached the Copa del Rey final. A year ago, Aguirre was replaced by Jagoba Arrasate, who had previously led Osasuna into European competitions. He tried to achieve similar success here straight away, but first finished with a respectable 48 points — enough for a top-10 place in La Liga. This provides a decent platform for further growth, but it remains to be seen if they can build on it. Their squad depth is limited, and it’s unlikely to improve much — so far, their biggest incoming transfer was paying €5m for 50% of Barcelona academy graduate Torre. Arrasate’s tactical discipline could still help them compete against bigger sides, but consistency remains their biggest challenge.
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Last year, the Blaugrana were on a downturn — no trophies and severe financial struggles. Even Xavi’s legendary status couldn’t save him. The decision to replace him with the more experienced Hansi Flick proved crucial. In 2024/25, the only real disappointment was their Champions League exit to Inter — expectations had been higher. Domestically, however, a matured Lamine Yamal and his teammates triumphed over Real Madrid in decisive matches for the Supercopa and Copa del Rey, and comfortably outpaced their rivals in La Liga, winning convincingly in head-to-head clashes. This summer they also signed Marcus Rashford, though his role remains unclear, and surprisingly paid good money to Espanyol for goalkeeper Joan García despite already having Ter Stegen and Szczęsny. Flick’s side, however, look more balanced and tactically flexible than last season.
The Catalan giants have claimed 16 wins over the islanders in their last 18 meetings, with only two draws. Mallorca will likely remain a mid-table side in Spain. Against such an opponent, Flick’s current team should have enough quality to secure all three points even away from home — we back an away win in the opening round of the new La Liga season.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win.
