Mallorca

Relegation-threatened Mallorca are coming off the back of last Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Deportivo Alaves at the Iberostar Stadium. The victory saw the club leave the bottom three, as they moved two steps up the table, from 18th to 16th place, having 32 points from 8W, 8D, and 17L. RCD Mallorca now sits two points above the troubled trio. Looking to pick up back-to-back victories, LLWLW, Mallorca have won just one of their last 11 visits to the Camp Nou in LaLiga [1W, 1D, & 9L]. The Pirates aim to sail further away from the murky waters of relegation when they take on Barcelona at the weekend. For Sunday's clash against Barcelona, Javier Aguirre could stick to the 4—4—1—1 formation, with Abdón Prats at the top of the shape. Prats has only two goals this season for the Pirates, two shy of the club’s top scorer, Salva Sevilla (4 goals).

Ten-man Mallorca picked up a 1-0 defeat to Getafe last weekend, following a solitary goal from Borja Mayoral (82'). Three minutes after the hour mark, Franco Russo [63’ R.] was shown the red card, leaving Mallorca with a numerical deficit for slightly over thirty minutes. The defeat leaves the club with five straight losses, LLLLL, and in 18th place, having failed to earn a point in five attempts. The Pirates have amassed 26 points from 6W, 8D, and 16L. Mallorca has an average goal ratio of 0.87 GPG this season, after hitting the back of the net 26 times in 30 La Liga games. Without including own goals, Mallorca have scored just seven goals in La Liga this year, including four from the penalty spot. RCD Mallorca have the third-worst defense in the league with 50 goals conceded coupled with a G.D. of -24, an average of 1.67 goals conceded per game. Javier Aguirre lined up a defensive-minded 5—3—2 formation with Fer Niño and Vedat Muriqi in attack against Getafe and is expected to keep both shape and personnel in place for Saturday’s clash against Atletico Madrid. Following the red card against Getafe, Franco Russo is ruled out, while Aleksandar Sedlar (knee injury) is expected to make his return later this month.

RCD Mallorca are coming off the back of a 4-3 defeat to Celta Vigo at the Estadio Balaídos, leaving the club in 16th place and with four defeats in a row: WLLLL. The Pirates have 26 points from 6W, 8D, and 13L, while sitting two points above the bottom-three. Luis García, who has a 46% win ratio at the helm [76G: 35W, 19D, & 22L], is hoping for at least a draw against Los Blancos on Monday, knowing that an outright victory over Real Madrid would be a tall order. Having suffered four defeats in a row, Mallorca are on the verge of picking up five consecutive losses for the first time in La Liga since November 2012. However, the Pirates have picked up three victories in four LaLiga matches played on the first day of the week: 3W, 0D, and 1L. For the game against the Sky Blues, Luis García, 49, lined up a defensive 5—3—2 formation, leaving the attacking duo consisting of Vedat Muriqi and Takefusa Kubo in attack. He is expected to keep both shape and personnel in place for this game against Madrid. Meanwhile, Manolo Reina and Rodrigo Battaglia are both suspended for Monday’s game against Real Madrid.

RCD Mallorca are coming off the back of Saturday's 2-1 win over Espanyol in the Copa del Rey round-of-16 clash. Back on LaLiga soil, the Pirates picked up a 2-0 defeat to Levante in their last domestic appearance. Goals from Levante's Roberto Soldado (47') and Luis Morales (90'+7’) left Mallorca without a point at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on January 8. The defeat saw the club drop two spots down the table, from 15th to 17th place. The Pirates have 20 points from 4W, 8D, & 8L and will be returning with three LaLiga defeats in a row: WDLLL. A focus on the numbers leaves the club with 17 goals [0.85 goals scored per game] after 20 La Liga games. The Pirates have conceded 30 goals [an average of 1.5 goals per match] so far this season and have a G.D. of -13. For this fixture against the Yellow Submarine, Luis García could appear with the 4—2—3—1 formation, with Fer Niño in attack.

Mallorca returns from the Christmas break following a 4-1 defeat to Granada on LaLiga Matchday 18. Four minutes after Jorge Molina (20') put Granada ahead, Dani Rodríguez (24) restored Mallorca on level terms. Moments into the second half, a half-volley from Molina (61’) saw Granada retake the lead. Mallorca were looking for a way back and were prepared to settle for a point until the 39-year-old, Molina (90+1’), returned for the hattrick in stoppage time. - Becoming the oldest player in Spanish top-flight football to score a hat-trick. Five minutes later, Mallorca conceded for the second time in added time, leaving the Pirates with nothing but an empty treasure chest from their voyage to Los Cármenes. The defeat was the second in five LaLiga fixtures, LDWDL, and it saw the club move from 14th to 15th place, having picked up 20 points from 4W, 8D, and 6L. Luis García will be looking to cause an upset against an injury-ravaged, COVID-afflicted Barcelona, hoping to set sail with at least a point on the deck after Sunday's clash. Els Barralets could line up with the 4—2—3—1 formation with Ángel Rodríguez in attack for the fixture against Barcelona.

Mallorca earned a point in the goalless draw against Getafe at the Mallorca Stadium last Saturday. The single point left the club without a win in five games: DDDLD, and saw the Pirates move one spot lower on the table, from 13th to 14th place, having picked up 16 points from 3W, 7D, & 5L. With a goal ratio of 0.93 goals scored per game, the club has 14 goals after 15 La Liga appearances. On the opposing end, the club has conceded 22 goals so far this season and has a massive negative G.D. of –8, stemming from 1.47 goals conceded per 90. Despite having unimpressive numbers, Mallorca drew 2-2 and 1-1 against Valencia and Sevilla, respectively, with a red card on both occasions. The Pirates could be looking to sail away with another point in the treasure chest on Saturday. Luis García could line up the 4—2—3—1 formation once again with Ángel Rodríguez in attack. Salva Sevilla is ruled out, while Dominik Greif (COVID-19) remains doubtful for this fixture.

Mallorca were denied three points after giving up a two-goal lead against Valencia on Saturday at the Mestalla Stadium. Mallorca’s Ángel Rodríguez (32’) gave the visitors the lead, two minutes after the half-hour mark, having been left unmarked right in front of goal. Six minutes later, Mouctar Diakhaby (38’ O.G.) deflected a shot from Dani Rodriguez past his own goalkeeper. With a comfortable two-goal lead, Mallorca appeared to be in control until Kang-in Lee (R. 55'), who was instrumental in creating the first goal, was shown the red. With the numerical disadvantage, Mallorca held on to the score-line until the death after a fantastic long-range strike from Valencia’s Goncalo Guedes (90'+3) rattled the back of the net. Deep into stoppage time, a nervy Mallorca failed to hold on to the narrow lead. An acrobatic finish from José Luis Gayà (90'+8) saw the visitors leave the Mestalla Stadium with only a point after the game ended at 2-2. It was the first draw for Mallorca in five games: LLWLD, and it saw the club move one spot from 13th to 12th place while having 12 points after 3W, 3D & 4L. Luis García’s objective will be three points, but defeating Sevilla will be a huge task. We could see the same 4—2—3—1 formation with Ángel Rodríguez leading the attack once again for this game against Sevilla. Fer Niño made an off-the-bench appearance against the Bats and could be doing the same on Wednesday. An ankle injury could see Antonio Raíllo unavailable for this game, alongside Takefusa Kubo.

Mallorca returns after a 1-0 win over Levante on the 2nd of October at the Iberostar Stadium. A single strike from Angel Rodriguez (75’) was enough to decide the outcome of the game and hand Mallorca their first victory in five games, LDLLW. The club is in 12th place with 11 points after 3W, 2D & 3L and Luis García will aim for at least a draw on Saturday, citing the opposition’s form. Mallorca have netted 7 times this season but have conceded 12 goals and have a goal difference of -5 after eight games this season. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Fer Nino in attack is expected in this game against Real Sociedad. Fer Nino has bagged only two goals in six LaLiga appearances this season. The 20-year-old will be on the hunt for his third on Saturday when RCD Mallorca visits the Reale Stadium. On availability, Pablo Maffeo remains in doubt for this Saturday's fixture alongside Takefusa Kubo, while Antonio Raillo and Aleksander Sedlar could also be unavailable due to fitness issues.

RCD Mallorca picked up a point on Matchday 5 following the goalless draw against Villarreal at Son Moix stadium. Despite making 281 passes while having 34% of the ball, Mallorca failed to find the required quality to hit the back of the net. The club had only one shot on target in ten attempts. They remain in 8th place with 8 points after 2W, 2D, & 1L. After bouncing back from defeat, Luis Garcia will remain keen on picking up at least a point after the visit to the Santiago Bernabéu. The 48-year-old could line up the 4—4—2 formation with Fer Nino and Dani Rodriguez in attack. On availability, Angel Rodriguez remains doubtful for this fixture. With the exception of the 34-year-old, manager Luis Garcia will have a fully fit squad available for selection ahead of this Matchday 6 fixture.

RCD Mallorca failed to pick up a point on Matchday 4 following their defeat to Athletic Club at the San Mamés Barria. Both sides came into the encounter unbeaten after three Spanish La Liga games, but it was only the home team that kept the record intact at the end of the game. Athletic Club's Dani Vivian (68') got on the end of a freekick and produced a fine header to beat the man in between the sticks and establish the lead for his side. Six minutes after the goal, Inaki Williams (74') steered the ball beyond the goalkeeper for the second goal of the game after getting on the end of a cut-back. 2-0! It finished, at the San Mamés Barria. It was the first defeat for Mallorca: DWWL, who were left in 8th place with 7 points at the end of Matchday 4. A quick return to winning ways will be in the plans for Luis Garcia, but a draw against the Yellow Submarine wouldn’t be a bad result. The 48-year-old could line up with a 4—2—3—1 formation with centre-forward of choice, Fer Nino, in attack. The 20-year-old has hit the back of the net only once for the club this season in three La Liga appearances. On availability, Angel Rodriguez remains doubtful for this fixture. With the exception of the 34-year-old, manager Luis Garcia will have a fully fit squad for the selection ahead of this Matchday 5 fixture.