Mallorca will be aiming to get their European challenge back on track when they continue their La Liga campaign with a home fixture against already-relegated Real Valladolid on Saturday evening.
The Pirates are 10th in the La Liga table, level on points with eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano in the race for Europe, while Real Valladolid are rock bottom of the division, with their relegation to the Segunda Division already being confirmed.
Match preview
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Mallorca occupy 10th position in Spain's top flight, with the team very much in the mix for European football approaching the final straight, but they will enter this match off the back of successive 1-0 defeats to Barcelona and Girona.
The Pirates have only been victorious in one of their last six league games, suffering four defeats in the process, but they are level on points with eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano, who are currently in a Conference League playoff spot.
Jagoba Arrasate's side are only two points behind seventh-placed Celta Vigo in the battle for Europa League qualification, meanwhile, so there is a lot to play for in the final stages of the season despite their recent disappointing form.
Mallorca have 24 points to show from their 17 home league games this season, and they will be welcoming a Real Valladolid outfit that have lost 16 of their 17 away league games in 2024-25, conceding 53 times in the process.
Earlier this season, Mallorca recorded a 2-1 victory over Real Valladolid in the reverse La Liga fixture, while they were 1-0 winners when the pair last locked horns at the home of the Pirates in January 2023.
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Real Valladolid's attention is already on next season, with the White and Violets hoping to be in a position to challenge for an immediate return to the top flight for the 2026-27 campaign.
Alvaro Rubio's side will enter this match off the back of an improved performance, only going down 2-1 to Barcelona on May 3, but it proved to be an eighth straight defeat in the top flight of Spanish football.
Real Valladolid have not been victorious since January 11, when they beat Real Betis 1-0, and a total of 16 points from 34 matches has left them rooted to the bottom of the division, some 19 points from 17th-placed Alaves.
The White and Violets are the lowest goalscorers in La Liga this term, finding the back of the net on only 25 occasions, while they have comfortably the worst defensive record, conceding 83 times.
A number of players are set to be moved on this summer, and the club are in need of refresh in order to be in with a chance of securing promotion from the Segunda Division at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Team News
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Mallorca are again expected to be without the services of Manu Morlanes, Robert Navarro and Abdon Prats on Saturday, but the Pirates have not suffered any fresh issues ahead of the match.
Head coach Arrasate is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes to the side that started against Girona, but fit-again Vedat Muriqi is set to feature in the final third of the field.
Dani Rodriguez and Antonio Sanchez are set to continue in the wide areas for Mallorca, while the back five is likely to be unchanged, as Arrasate will be wary of a Real Valladolid side that have nothing to lose on Saturday.
The visitors will have taken plenty of encouragement from their clash against Barcelona last time out, having taken the lead against the division leaders before the match was turned around in the second period.
Head coach Rubio could name close to an unchanged side, as there are no fresh injury concerns for the basement team, although Joseph Aidoo, Henrique Silva and Javi Sanchez remain unavailable for selection.
There will also have to be a switch in the final third of the field, with Mamadou Sylla suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up against Barcelona, so Juanmi Latasa is likely to be handed a starting role.
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Grief; Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Copete, Mojica; A Sanchez, Costa, Darder, D Rodriguez; Muriqi
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Ferreira; Tuhami, Candela, Comert, Ozkacar, Aznou; I Sanchez, Juric, Amallah, Moro; Latasa
We say: Mallorca 1-0 Real Valladolid
Mallorca have only scored 31 times in La Liga this season, which is the joint-second worst attacking record behind Real Valladolid, so we are not expecting a high-scoring affair on Saturday, but the hosts should be able to navigate their way to a vital three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
