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Preview: Sevilla vs. Mallorca - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Wednesday's La Liga clash between Sevilla and Mallorca, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Needing one win to confirm a top-four finish in the La Liga table, Sevilla will welcome relegation-threatened Mallorca on Wednesday.

After salvaging a draw against Villarreal at the weekend, the hosts find themselves in third spot with a seven-point lead over fifth place, while their visitors sit two points adrift of safety with just three games left to play.


Match preview

Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui reacts on April 3, 2022© Reuters

After a particularly impressive first half to the season, in which they consistently stayed in pursuit of league leaders Real Madrid, Sevilla have seen their form take a dip in recent months, with Julen Lopetegui's side having now won just two of their last nine matches in La Liga.

A run of three consecutive draws and a defeat to Barcelona saw them fall well behind the top side and down to third place, before a win over Granada was followed by a 3-2 loss at the hands of the leaders.

They again bounced back to winning ways after that disappointment, defeating relegation-threatened Levante, before playing out consecutive draws heading into Wednesday, as they were firstly held by strugglers Cadiz on home turf.

Lopetegui's side most recently travelled to take on Villarreal, and, after Giovani Lo Celso put the hosts 1-0 up in the 86th minute, they were, at least, able to salvage a point as Jules Kounde equalised deep into added time.

While they have been far from their best recently, Los Nervionenses do have a major head start in the race for Champions League places, and, now sitting third with a seven-point lead over Real Betis, they will look for a win to confirm a top-four finish while piling pressure on second-placed Barcelona.

Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre before the match on April 9, 2022© Reuters

The visitors, meanwhile, arrive desperate for a victory in their bid to jump out of the bottom three in the final three games of the season.

Following a commendable start to their first season back in La Liga, a run of seven straight league defeats between February and April gave Los Piratas' survival hopes a huge hit.

While wins over Atletico Madrid and Alaves either side of a thrashing at the hands of Elche did provide some reason to be positive and hopeful, Javier Aguirre's side have since lost another two games consecutively, firstly falling after a commendable effort away at Barcelona.

They then met fellow strugglers Granada, who sat a point behind in the drop zone prior to the game, in a crucial contest last time out, and, despite the game being level at half time, they were eventually handed a 6-2 thrashing as the visitors found the net five times in the second 45.

As a result, Los Piratas now find themselves two points adrift of safety with just three games to go, meaning they will see it as vital that they return to winning ways on Wednesday to improve their chances of avoiding the drop.

Sevilla La Liga form:
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • D

Mallorca La Liga form:
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L


Team News

Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic celebrates scoring their first goal with Marcos Acuna on February 17, 2022© Reuters

Sevilla will likely remain without important midfielder Fernando, and Thomas Delaney came into the engine room alongside Ivan Rakitic and Joan Jordan in his absence last time out, while Suso, Karim Rekik and Anthony Martial are also sidelined.

Youssef En-Nesyri and Rafa Mir will likely battle to lead the line in Lopetegui's 4-3-3, with the latter leading the team's scoring charts this season and the former given the nod against Villarreal.

There is also competition for places in the wide areas, with the likes of Alejandro Gomez, Lucas Ocampos, Jesus Corona and Erik Lamela all pushing to start.

Vedat Muriqi will continue to spearhead the Mallorca attack, having hit four league goals since his January loan move from Lazio.

He should again be flanked by Takefusa Kubo, who remains a threat despite only contributing one goal and one assist in La Liga this season.

Aleksander Sedlar, Dominik Greif and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta will remain sidelined while Franco Russo is also unlikely to feature.

Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bono; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Acuna; Rakitic, Delaney, Jordan; Corona, En-Nesyri, Gomez

Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rico; Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Costa; Sevilla, Baba, Rodriguez; Kubo, Muriqi, Lee


SM words green background

We say: Sevilla 2-0 Mallorca

Mallorca will certainly be desperate for a result on Wednesday, but we can only envisage them being outclassed at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Looking to book their place in next season's Champions League, Lopetegui's men have more than enough to cruise past the strugglers with home advantage.




Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Sevilla win with a probability of 72.65%. A draw has a probability of 17% and a win for Mallorca has a probability of 10.35%.

The most likely scoreline is Sevilla 2-0 Mallorca with a probability of 12.53%. The next most likely scorelines are 1-0 (10.82%), 3-0 (9.68%), 2-1 (9.37%).



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data


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Who will win Wednesday's La Liga clash between Sevilla and Mallorca?

Sevilla
87.7%
Draw
6.2%
Mallorca
6.2%
65
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rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CReal Madrid37267480314985
2Barcelona372110668363273
3Atletico MadridAtletico37208963422168
4Sevilla371716452302267
5Real Betis371971162402264
6Real Sociedad37171193935462
7Villarreal3715111161372456
8Athletic Bilbao371413104335855
9Osasuna371211143749-1247
10Celta Vigo371210154341246
11Valencia371015124653-745
12Rayo Vallecano37119173746-942
13Espanyol371011164053-1341
14Getafe37815143238-639
15ElcheElche37109183751-1439
16Granada37813164461-1737
17CadizCadiz37715153451-1736
18Mallorca3799193463-2936
RLevante37711194774-2732
RAlavesAlaves3787223164-3331

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