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Coronavirus: LaLiga confirms Seville derby to restart campaign, season to finish on July 19

Suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, LaLiga will get back underway with a clash between Sevilla and Real Betis.

The remaining 11 matchdays will be played in less than six weeks as Barcelona and Real Madrid battle for the title.

Barca were two points clear of their bitter rivals when the season was stopped due to COVID-19, which has killed more than 373,000 people worldwide.

Quique Setien's men return to action with a trip to Real Mallorca on June 13, a day before Madrid host Eibar.

Barcelona also host Atletico Madrid on July 1 before facing rivals Espanyol in a derby clash a week later.

Barcelona's remaining fixtures
June 13: Real Mallorca (A)
June 16: Leganes (H)
June 21: Sevilla (A)
June 24: Athletic Bilbao (H)
June 28: Celta Vigo (A)
July 1: Atletico Madrid (H)
July 5: Villarreal (A)
July 8: Espanyol (H)
July 12: Real Valladolid (A)
July 15: Osasuna (H)
July 19: Deportivo Alaves (A)

Real Madrid's remaining fixtures
June 14: Eibar (H)
June 18: Valencia (H)
June 21: Real Sociedad (A)
June 24: Real Mallorca (H)
June 28: Espanyol (A)
July 1: Getafe (H)
July 5: Athletic Bilbao (A)
July 8: Deportivo Alaves (H)
July 12: Granada (A)
July 15: Villarreal (H)
July 19: Leganes (A)

Flick wants to see clinical finishing from Barcelona

The Blaugrana are winless in three league matches and have seen their lead at the top of the standings cut to just one point.

Defeats against Real Sociedad and Las Palmas cut Barcelona's have come either side of a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo, in which they gave up a 2-0 lead.

With second-placed Real Madrid just a point behind and with a game in hand, Flick knows Barca cannot afford any slip-ups against Mallorca on Tuesday.

And Flick put Barca's recent run down to wasting chances.

"For me, the good news is that November is over and we are in December," Flick told reporters.

"The team has given a lot in those games, in the midfield we have had a lot of intensity and we have been very disciplined. We created chances but we have to finish better.

"It may seem like I'm making excuses, but we lost. We have to be focused in attack. We can't afford to have two or three chances and do not score them. In football it's the goals that count."

Across their past three fixtures in LaLiga, Barca have scored just three goals, underperforming their 4.7 expected goals (xG).

In that time, only Real Valladolid (4.76%) and Rayo Vallecano (6.25%) have a lower shot conversion rate than Barca (6.38%).

Flick says his team just need to show more focus on the details.

"We are a young team that have to learn and fight for victories," Flick said.

"At the back, we need to stop conceding goals and for that we have to defend as a unit. In attack, we also have to be united. We have to score with the chances we get.

"We had long possessions and a lot of chances, but in the end it's a fight to win the duels. When I see (Pau) Cubarsi or Inigo Martinez and how well they defend.

"Pedri runs a lot in midfield... so do the others. There is a long way to go, we want to win the league title and for that everyone has to fight." 

Mallorca 2-1 Girona: Hosts come from behind to win despite red card

Donny van de Beek had initially got Girona ahead, netting a volley after seven minutes before Cyle Larin got Mallorca back on level terms on 20 minutes after a counter-attacking move.

But things took a bad turn for the hosts 12 minutes later, with striker Muriqi given a straight red card for a foul on Bryan Gil in which his studs were planted on the winger's leg.

But even after being reduced to 10 men, Mallorca were able to get ahead with Larin's second goal in the second half.

The Canada international netted his fourth LaLiga goal of the season in the 51st minute to give Mallorca a lead that they would hold for the remainder of the game.

Following the victory, Mallorca moved up to fifth in the table on 27 points while Girona remained ninth on 22.

Data debrief: Mallorca come back to claim points again

Following the defeat, Girona have now gone six matches in all competitions without a victory. They have also gone three league games without a win.

Mallorca, meanwhile, have now recovered 10 points from losing positions so far this season – only Atletico Madrid (12) have managed more.

The hosts now trail fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao by five points in LaLiga, having played a game more.

Michel hoping for attacking improvements in three 'key' LaLiga fixtures

After 16 games this season, Girona find themselves ninth in the table, struggling to strike a balance between their Champions League and domestic commitments. 

Michel's side were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on Tuesday, leaving them 30th in the 36-team table, leaving them with a slim chance of reaching the knockout stages. 

And up next for Girona is Mallorca, who sit one place above them in the LaLiga table, but have lost their last two league games to Barcelona and Celta Vigo. 

A victory for Michel's side could move them as high as sixth, and the Girona head coach acknowledged the importance of their upcoming fixture to their overall campaign. 

"It is a key match. There are three games left to finish the first round, and we have to see how many points we have to collect to gauge where we will be in the standings," Michel told reporters on Friday.

"Mallorca is above us but if we win things will change. We need to win games to be at the top, that is what I have told the players. There are three key games left to face the second round well and with guarantees."

And Girona could be in for another difficult encounter at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, despite not losing their last two LaLiga matches (W1 D1), which is their longest away unbeaten run in the competition this campaign.

They have won only one of their 12 away games against Mallorca across all competitions (D3 L8), winning 1-0 in LaLiga back in May 2015.

Michel has also lost his last two meetings with Mallorca in all competitions, this after going unbeaten in his first three managerial matches against them (W2 D1).

And the Girona head coach lamented his side's recent poor return in front of goal, having failed to score in their last three matches in all competitions, and is hopeful of improvements moving forward. 

"When you have the score in your favour, everything is easier to control in the game," Michel said.

"That's why it's very important to be able to score first and we have not scored in three games. This means we have to improve, nothing more.

"Football has a lot of equality and the small details mark the result a lot, so I think we have to control these small details better." 

Real Mallorca 0-1 Atletico Madrid: Alvarez tap-in secures fourth straight win for visitors

It was a seventh goal in all competitions for the 24-year-old this season and, in truth, was one of few highlights in an off-colour performance from Diego Simeone's side.

Nevertheless, the victory was Atleti's fourth in a row in all competitions and they moved up to third in the table – one point behind second-placed Real Madrid and seven behind leaders Barcelona.

Both sides struggled to make an impact in attack during the game, with neither registering high xGs (Mallorca 0.58 - 0.62 Atletico Madrid).

The goal itself came from a second-half counter from the visitors, started when Giuliano Simeone took down a long pass from goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Simeone, in turn, then laid the ball across for Alvarez with the simplest of finishes into an open goal.

The defeat leaves Mallorca eighth in the table, two points below the top six.

Data debrief: Defences on top again in Atleti game

Atletico Madrid kept their seventh LaLiga clean sheet in this match, with Oblak having been in goal for six of those.

They also have the best-performing defence in the league, having conceded just seven goals in seven matches.

It was perhaps inevitable that this game would be a low-scoring affair, with Mallorca having conceded the equal second-fewest number of goals (10).

Real Mallorca 1-5 Barcelona: In-form Raphinha nets two as leaders run riot

Hansi Flick's league leaders – who were without a victory in three matches in the competition – netted four times in a dominant second-half performance as they extended their advantage over Real Madrid to four points.

A comical mix-up between Martin Valjent and Johan Majica allowed Ferran Torres to give Barca a 12th-minute lead, though the hosts levelled when Vedat Muriqi tapped home to cap a lightning counterattack on the stroke of half-time.

However, that equaliser only served to anger Barca and they pulled clear after the interval.

Raphinha restored their lead from the penalty spot in the 56th minute after the excellent Lamine Yamal was fouled, with the teenager then curling in a wonderful 74th-minute cross to tee up his captain's second goal.

Substitutes Frenkie de Jong and Pau Victor added to the goalfest with late strikes from inside the box to wrap up an easy win for the Blaugrana, who have played two games more than second-placed Madrid.

Data Debrief: Raphinha into double figures as Barca cruise

In Robert Lewandowski (15) and Raphinha (10), Barcelona are the only team to have two players in double figures for goals in one of Europe's top five leagues this season.

Things could hardly have been more comfortable for the Blaugrana, who created a huge total of 4.93 expected goals (xG), the highest figure by any team in a single match in LaLiga this campaign.

 

Simeone hails Atleti's dirty work after Mallorca win

Julian Alvarez scored for the seventh time since his arrival from Manchester City as Los Colchoneros earned a hard-fought away win on Sunday.

The win took them third in the table, just one point behind second-placed Real Madrid and seven behind leaders Barcelona.

Simeone said his side had not let Wednesday's last-gasp 2-1 win over Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League go to their heads as he praised their defensive work.

"The players made a huge effort and worked hard after our game in Paris; it wasn't easy to get away from all the praise they got and work with humility to defend all the crosses that Mallorca make in every game," Simeone said at a post-match press conference.

"In football you always live for today, as in life; what came before, what you enjoyed yourself, what you did... they are just memories. You have to deliver it here and now, it's the reality of life, the day to day.

"In the first half we lacked more collective play, in the second half it was different, we competed better in the opposition's half and after the goal we had our chances to go out with a bigger win."

Simeone heaped particular praise on Alvarez, adding: "I don't follow their numbers and I don't care about it but I love him.

"He has personality, class, humility, hard work and goals. Let's hope he continues in this vein of form because that's what we were hoping for.

"I don't dwell on results but in the last few games I can see a clear idea. We won a Copa del Rey match, then in LaLiga against Las Palmas, at PSG on Wednesday and today once again we gave joy to our fans, which is what it's all about." 

 

Simeone hopeful Atletico can build momentum after PSG win

After a tough October in which Atletico managed only one victory in five matches across all competitions, including consecutive Champions League losses, they have won their last three games.

The most notable of those victories came in Paris on Wednesday when Angel Correa scored a 93rd-minute winner to inflict a rare home defeat on Luis Enrique's men.

Simeone hopes his side can use that result as an inspiration for when they visit Mallorca on their return to domestic action on Sunday.

"The hardest thing in football is to maintain consistency and we did it winning a Copa del Rey match at Vic, in LaLiga against Las Palmas and at PSG on Wednesday," Simeone told a press conference.

"We are working on that and I hope we can build up momentum.

"We're going to face an opponent who plays very well, who are brave, who have a lot of tools, who are very strong at home and we'll try to take the game where I think we have to take it."

Simeone said criticism of his side's defensive approach did not bother him.

"We can't always perform at the highest level like we want, we hope to do so, but sometimes we can't respond to what we demand of ourselves," he added.

"There is an overall idea that the team competes as a unit. Against PSG it was defending with a lower block and the most important thing is that the team feels identified with what we do.

"To represent Atletico, to wear this shirt is a great motivation, no matter who you play against. I don't move from that line.

"Mallorca are a brave team, they have good aerial play, they know how to counter-attack. They are doing well in LaLiga. They concede few goals, it will be a difficult match."

Atletico are third in the LaLiga standings on 23 points, one behind Real Madrid and 10 points adrift of leaders Barcelona.

Yamal return the key for five-star Barcelona, says Flick

Spain's Euro 2024 star Yamal had been sidelined for four weeks due to an ankle injury, with Flick's team only taking one point from three games in LaLiga during that time.

Those stumbles allowed Real Madrid to cut their lead at the summit to one point, with Los Blancos still possessing a game in hand. However, Barca responded in emphatic fashion on Tuesday.

Captain Raphinha scored twice as they trounced Mallorca, with Yamal assisting his second as one of two chances he created for team-mates. 

Speaking to Movistar Plus after the win, Flick said of Yamal: "Today he was very important for us, he always generates positive things for the team.

"He could have scored one or two goals today, he played very well.

"Of course I am happy with the team performance. In the first half we had a lot of chances and we scored, they equalised from a counterattack but we kept going. The entire team is happy with how things went tonight."

 

Flick did not even need his star striker Robert Lewandowski against Mallorca. 

Lewandowski, who is the leading scorer in LaLiga with 15 goals this campaign, was handed a rest after starting all 20 of Barcelona's previous matches in all competitions.

Lewandowski's replacement Ferran Torres pounced on some sloppy defending by Mallorca to give the visitors an early lead, earning praise from his coach.

"Lewandowski needed to rest, we had to look after him," Flick said. "And Ferran had a very good game and scored the first goal, it's very important for him too. 

"Whenever we need him, he's always there. Today we didn't need to play Lewandowski."

Barca top the standings on 37 points, four ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who have two games in hand. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are third on 32 and have one game in hand.