Lionel Messi and Barcelona teammates head to Mallorca to commence title defence

Lionel Messi seems well-prepared for the Mallorca fixture
Lionel Messi seems well-prepared for the Mallorca fixture

Lionel Messi and his teammates at Barcelona took to Instagram earlier today to share images of a socially distanced group of Barcelona players taking the flight to Mallorca.

Barcelona has been hard at work over the past few weeks and is looking to get its La Liga schedule off to a successful start against Mallorca.

Lionel Messi, in particular, has been very active in the past week and has brought the team together in training to ensure that the group inculcates the ideas of Barcelona's new manager Quique Setien.

Barcelona takes on Mallorca in the Catalan club's first fixture of the restarted La Liga season and Lionel Messi's fitness ahead of the game has been confirmed by Quique Setien.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona head to Mallorca for La Liga restart

Lionel Messi has had an excellent season with Barcelona so far
Lionel Messi has had an excellent season with Barcelona so far

Barcelona heads into the Mallorca game after a gruelling month of training under Quique Setien. The Spanish manager is known for his tactical nous and his coaching staff has organised several training matches to improve Barcelona's gameplay on the pitch.

Lionel Messi has been unplayable in these training sessions and seems to be in excellent form going into the fixture. Barcelona has some of the most potent attacking players in the Spanish league and will hope that its superstars step up to the plate and deliver against Mallorca.

Barcelona's players have emphasised the importance of every single fixture going into the restarted La Liga season and will hope to take inspiration from Lionel Messi and clinch yet another La Liga title.

Lionel Messi suffered a minor injury scare this past week during a training session with Barcelona. The Argentine superstar has had his fair share of issues with fitness and will hope that the break caused by the worldwide pandemic will have alleviated some of his fatigue.

Earlier this week, Quique Setien confirmed that Lionel Messi is fit to start against Mallorca and will be one of the first names on Barcelona's teamsheet. Luis Suarez has also recovered from his injury but may sit on the sidelines as a precautionary measure.

Luis Suarez has a telepathic relationship with Lionel Messi on the pitch and will have to be at his best to provide Barcelona with a much-needed presence in the final third. Lionel Messi has evolved into Barcelona's creator-in-chief and the likes of Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann will have to chip in with goals to give Barcelona the momentum it needs to win the title.

Barcelona's front three is one of the best in the world
Barcelona's front three is one of the best in the world

Lionel Messi has been a one-man army for Barcelona so far this season. The Argentine forward has scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists this season and is statistically the best goalscorer and creator in La Liga. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in Barcelona's 5-2 victory over Mallorca in December and will look to replicate his heroics in the reverse fixture.

Barcelona currently has a 2-point lead over Real Madrid in the La Liga table and will need Lionel Messi firing on all cylinders to lift the La Liga title.


Also Read: Barcelona v Mallorca prediction, preview, team news and more

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