Mallorca will host title contenders Girona in the La Liga on Sunday. Presently, Mallorca is in 16th place, six points above the relegation zone. Girona is in second place in the table, six points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Preview (Mallorca vs. Girona)
After defeating Real Sociedad on penalties on Tuesday night to guarantee their place in the competition final, Mallorca will be coming off a big victory in the Copa del Rey. In April, Javier Aguirre’s team will take on Athletic Bilbao for the title. First and foremost, they need to concentrate on La Liga. Their poor start to the season has put them in 16th place in the standings. After finishing ninth in the premier division of Spain the previous season, the Pirates have only accumulated 24 points from their 26 league games in 2023–24. This has put them in 16th place, six points above the relegation zone.
Although Aguirre’s club has only managed to win four games in La Liga this season, they have picked up four points from their previous three matches at this level of competition, defeating Real Sociedad 2-1 at home and drawing with Rayo Vallecano. Mallorca defeated Girona 5-3 in their most recent La Liga matchup, back in September. They did win 3-2 over the Catalan squad in the Copa del Rey towards the end of January. Between February 3 and February 19, Girona played three league games against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao. Of those matches, Girona managed just one point, which severely damaged their chances of winning the title.
But Michel’s team returned to winning ways last time out, defeating Rayo Vallecano 3-0. As a result, they now have 59 points from 26 league games this season, with a record of 18 victories, 5 draws, and 3 losses. Girona is now second in the table, two points clear of third-place Barcelona and six behind leaders Real Madrid. They also lead the battle to play in the Champions League the following season by ten points over Athletic Bilbao.
Team News
Due to a knee injury, Pablo Maffeo will not be playing for Mallorca once more. However, Siebe Van der Heyden and Antonio Raillo are back in action following their suspensions against Alaves. It is anticipated that this team will mostly consist of the same players as they faced Real Sociedad. The hosts have not disclosed any new worries following that match. However, there will be a change in the closing third. Toni Lato is expected to return on the left, and Predrag Rajkovic will likely be back between the sticks. Vedat Muriqi will likely replace Abdon Prats.
While Toni Villa, Joel Roca, Daley Blind, and Girona are still sidelined for selection, the club that is presently second in the table does not have any new injury concerns. It’s unlikely that head coach Michel will make changes to a winning team, thus the starting lineup from the last time out against Rayo may be the same. Again, Portu should be preferred over Ivan Martin at number 10, with Artem Dovbyk, who has scored 14 goals in La Liga this season, leading the line and two-goal Savo off the right.
Mallorca 1-2 Girona
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