Barcelona-Mallorca Preview

Vilanova's side seek return to winning ways without Messi

Tito Vilanova and Jordi Roura will wait until Saturday after training before they decide what team they’ll field against Mallorca. It is in defence that they have the most injuries to worry about, but Roura has said that Adriano is responding well to treatment and should be fit within schedule. Song and Sergio are useful for getting the ball out from the back, and Puyol “is working morning, afternoon and evening to get fit but we have to take the medical programmes into account”.

He was also asked if there is any chance that we’ll see Abidal back in action? “He is one of the squad, and so he also has options” said Roura. “His is a very special case. He has developed well. He’ll play if we think he can help.”

Messi’s name naturally came up several times. The Argentinian won’t be playing on Saturday, but “we’ll have to see how he develops between now and Wednesday. He is a competitive player and always wants to be in the team. At the end of the day, it depends how he feels and what the doctors say. But neither should we force things.”

Roura added that Mallorca “is a difficult opponent. These games with teams in danger of relegation are always difficult.” He remembered the game with Celta, before adding that “all points are essential and we’ll be going for this 100%. I have a lot of respect for games like these.”

UEFA institutional letter

The Barça assistant coach finished with a comment on the letter written to FIFA about incidents in the game with PSG on Tuesday, saying that “Freixa explained the club’s position in this respect. We fully agree with this letter to UEFA because we feel that a written law was not complied with … We are fully respectful to referees, but there are certain things that have to be said. These are very specific things regarding very specific matches” he concluded.

Didi u know?

• Barcelona are on a 10-match winning run at home in La Liga.

• The Catalan side have won 13 and drawn one of the 14 matches they have played without Lionel Messi between 2010 and 2013.

• Barcelona have won their last four meetings with Mallorca by an aggregate score of 14-2.

• Mallorca have lost five of their last six away matches in La Liga.

• Only bottom club Deportivo La Coruna (61) have conceded more goals in the Primera Division this season than Mallorca's 58.

• Alejandro Alfaro (pictured, right) has scored four goals in his last four appearances for Mallorca.