Pedro bagged a brace and Thierry Henry scored his first goal
of the season as Barcelona cruised to a routine 4-2 win at home
to Mallorca.
Barca began the day a point ahead of fierce rivals Real Madrid
at the top of the Primera Division.
The Catalans took to the field two hours before Madrid's derby
clash at city rivals Atletico, in the knowledge a win would keep
them top for another week, regardless of what happened in the capital.
Barca coach Pep Guardiola sprung several surprises as he left Xavi,
Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves out of the starting
line-up for this match.
Their absence from the first XI meant a start for the in-form Pedro
on the right and another chance for the misfiring Henry on the left,
while Sergio Busquets came in alongside Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita
in midfield and captain Carles Puyol was switched from central defence
to right-back.
Even without four of their best players, this was still an impressive
line-up.
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