Barcelona predicted lineup vs Mallorca - La Liga
By Tom Gott
All eyes are on the defensive record that is slowly slipping away from Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Barcelona.
Having conceded six goals in his last three appearances, Ter Stegen's grip on La Liga's all-time record is slipping away. If he wants to beat the record, which is shared by Jan Oblak and Paco Liano, the German cannot concede another goal this season and must record at least one more clean sheet.
Xavi will look to seal that clean sheet when Mallorca come to town on Sunday, so here's how he could set up.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Mallorca (4-3-3)
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen - The man of the hour. If Ter Stegen bags a clean sheet here, he will be averaging 0.472 goals conceded per game, better than either Oblak or Liano. He'll be rested for the final game of the season to protect his stats.
RB: Alejandro Balde - The youngster is the future of Barcelona's left-back spot but may have to shift over to the right here.
CB: Jules Kounde - Despite some uncertainty over his future at the club, Kounde should return here and may be moved to the central role for which he is longing.
CB: Andreas Christensen - Aside from his glorious own goal last time out, Christensen has been an integral part of Barcelona's push for this defensive record.
LB: Jordi Alba - Alba will say goodbye to Camp Nou after confirming his departure from Barcelona this summer.
DM: Sergio Busquets - Joining Alba on the farewell tour will be Busquets, who is needed back in the team after Eric Garcia's horror show against Valladolid.
CM: Frenkie de Jong - De Jong could be promoted to the captaincy group next season as Busquets and Alba prepare to vacate their spots.
CM: Gavi - Gavi struggled horribly in the previous game but Pedri's ongoing injury struggles should give him another chance to play.
RW: Raphinha - Will this be his final run-out at Camp Nou? With Barcelona looking to bring back Lionel Messi, Raphinha is regularly touted as the likely casualty.
ST: Robert Lewandowski - Five goals ahead of Karim Benzema, Lewandowski should have the Pichichi wrapped up already.
LW: Ousmane Dembele - Talks are ongoing behind the scenes over an extension to Dembele's contract. His bargain €50m release clause kicks in this summer but nobody seems to be worried.
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