Both Mallorca and Villareal are winless going into the second match of their respective La Liga campaigns on Friday. While Mallorca came from behind to tie 1-1 with Las Palmas in their season opener against 2023–24, the Yellow Submarine lost their season opener at home by a score of 2-1.
Preview (Mallorca vs Villareal)
On August 12, Mallorca played Las Palmas on opening night and went behind in the first half. However, they managed to tie the game in the second half with Antonio Raillo, and the points were split. As they prepare to host a Villarreal team they defeated twice last season, including a 4-2 victory at home, Javier Aguirre’s team will now be vying for their first three points of the campaign. Mallorca, which placed ninth in Spain’s top division last season, will be striving for a top-half finish this time around, as seen by their summer activity.
During the club’s outstanding transfer window, Sergi Darder, Cyle Larin, Samu Costa, Siebe Van der Heyden, Manu Morlanes, Omar Mascarell, and Toni Lato all joined. Although Lee Kang-in’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain has been their most significant departure, other players including Inigo Ruiz de Galaretta, Angel Rodriguez, and Iddrisu Baba have also left this summer. In contrast, Villarreal lost their season opener 2-1 against Real Betis. Ayoze Perez gave the Green and Whites the lead at Estadio de la Ceramica, but Jorge Cuenca tied the game in the 61st minute.
Although it first looked like the visitors and Yellow Submarine would split the points, Willian Jose’s game-winning goal in the 95th minute gave the visitors the victory.With 64 points from 38 games, Quique Setien’s team finished fifth in Spain’s premier division last year, qualifying them for the 2023–24 Europa League group stage. Alexander Sorloth, Ramon Terrats, and Denis Suarez are among the new players that Villarreal has been able to sign this summer. However, they have also lost some important players in Nicolas Jackson, Pau Torres, and Samuel Chukwueze, who all left the club in high-profile transfers. The Yellow Submarine’s summer business has undoubtedly improved their financial situation, but their fans will be hoping that it hasn’t come at the expense of their performance on the field.
Team News
If there aren’t any last-minute setbacks in training, Mallorca should have a complete squad for their match on Friday just like they did for their season opener. For this game, head coach Aguirre might want to switch to a back four, which would let Larin join Vedat Muriqi and Amath Ndiaye in an offensive role. Darder, who joined the team this summer as part of a midfield three, might now start against Las Palmas after coming on as a half-time replacement last week. Francis Coquelin is still unavailable to Villarreal owing to a chronic knee condition.
Alfonso Pedraza might be inserted into the starting lineup if Alberto Moreno, who had to be substituted in the first half of the game against Real Betis, is set to miss out. Etienne Capoue is also anticipated to be included in the starting lineup, but head coach Setien is likely to resist the urge to make significant lineup adjustments. Instead, Gerard Moreno, Sorloth, and Alex Baena could return as the front three despite their struggles against Real Betis. Although Mallorca is a very excellent team and Villarreal will be anxious to avenge their defeat to Real Betis, we find it difficult to back the hosts to lose.
Mallorca 1 – 1 Villareal
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