The 2025–26 La Liga season officially gets underway for the reigning champions on Saturday as Hansi Flick’s formidable Barcelona side travel to the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix to face a tricky Mallorca team in their opening fixture of the new campaign.
Barcelona enter the new season brimming with confidence after a sensational and “ferocious” pre-season. The Catalans were unbeaten and scored an incredible 20 goals across their four main warm-up matches, looking like a well-oiled machine on attack. The expectation in Catalonia is to replicate last season’s domestic treble-winning success.
However, the champions’ final preparations have been hit by some key issues. Their top goalscorer from last season, Robert Lewandowski, is a major doubt for the opener as he continues to nurse a hamstring issue, meaning Ferran Torres is poised to lead the line in his place. Furthermore, ongoing registration issues with La Liga mean that new signings like Marcus Rashford and Roony Bardghji remain unavailable for selection at the time of writing.
Mallorca, who finished a respectable 10th last season under manager Jagoba Arrasate, will look to provide a tough test. They will be extra motivated by the official debut of La Masia graduate Pablo Torre, who is set to line up against his former club. Their chances are hampered, however, by a significant injury to their key anchoring midfielder, Samu Costa.
Predicted Lineups
- Mallorca Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Román; Morey, Valjent, Raíllo, Mojica; Mascarell, Morlanes; Asano, Darder, Torre; Muriqi.
- Barcelona Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Araújo, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermín, Raphinha; Torres.
Score Prediction Barcelona’s attack looked simply unstoppable during their summer tour, and even without Lewandowski, the creative force of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha should be far too much for a Mallorca side that is significantly weakened by the absence of their key man in midfield. While early season matchups can be unpredictable, the champions should begin their title defence with a convincing, high-scoring victory.
Prediction: Mallorca 1–4 Barcelona