Mallorca suffer major injury setback for Barcelona La Liga opener | OneFootball

Barcelona kick off their 2025/26 La Liga season on the road at Mallorca on August 16 with Hansi Flick aiming for a strong start.

La Blaugrana will play their first three games of the new league season away from Barcelona as the club continue to work on plans over their Camp Nou return.

The current timeline hints at optimism over the redeveloped stadium being ready to partially open for their September 14 home clash with Valencia.

However, the immediate focus for Flick and his players is the trip to Palma, with captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen the most notable injury absentee.

La Liga have confirmed their decision to allow the injury salary space rule to be activated over his absence with Joan Garcia now registered.

Garcia will start for the visitors but star striker Robert Lewandowski is expected to miss out due to a muscle injury.

Marcus Rashford faces an anxious wait to see if his own registration will be completed in time to board the flight to Palma and Barcelona are prepared to wait until the last minute to confirm.

Costa misses Barca game ahead of Premier League switch

Mallorca’s preparations have been hit by issues focused on midfielder Samu Costa, who according to Diario AS, will miss the gam due to injury.

A knee issue will keep him sidelined with Omar Mascarell also absent due to a suspension carried over from last season.

Costa’s absence could also mean the end of his career in Mallorca, with his agent Jorge Mendes requesting talks with the club hierarchy over an exit.

The Portugal international has attracted interest from the Premier League this month and he is pushing to move on before the window closes.

Bournemouth are rumoured to be leading the chase as Costa looks to keep himself in contention for a place in Portugal’s FIFA 2026 World Cup qualification plans for September.