Mallorca will be aiming to make it four straight wins in Spain's top flight when they continue their 2024-25 campaign with a clash against Espanyol at RCDE Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors are sixth in the table, boasting 14 points from their opening eight matches, while Espanyol occupy 17th, picking up seven points from their first eight games of the season.
Match preview
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Espanyol will be aiming to stop a three-game losing run on Saturday, with the Catalan outfit's recent struggles seeing them drop down the table, currently sitting 17th in the division on seven points.
Manolo Gonzalez's side won back-to-back matches against Rayo Vallecano and Alaves either side of the September international break, but they have been beaten in each of their last three by Real Madrid, Villarreal and Real Betis.
Espanyol secured a return to Spain's top flight through last season's Segunda Division playoffs, and they will now be looking to consolidate back at this level of football.
There have been positive signs this season, but a record of just seven goals from their opening eight matches is slightly concerning, and it remains to be seen whether the attacking output is there to keep them in the division.
The White and Blues are actually unbeaten in their last three La Liga matches with Mallorca, including a 2-1 success when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding game during the 2022-23 campaign.
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Mallorca's form has been one of the stories of the season thus far, with the Pirates enjoying an excellent start, picking up 14 points from their opening eight matches to sit in sixth position in the table.
Jagoba Arrasate's side only collected two points from their first three matches of the campaign, but they have been victorious in four of their last five, including their last three against Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Real Valladolid.
Mallorca's strong start has been built on a solid defence, with only Atletico Madrid (four) conceding fewer times in La Liga this season, but they are among the lowest goalscorers in the division with eight.
The Pirates finished down in 15th last season, but they did claim ninth in 2022-23 and certainly have the look of a side more than capable of pushing for a top-half finish in 2024-25.
Mallorca have only won one of their last five La Liga matches against Espanyol, while they have not managed to beat the Catalan outfit away from home in Spain's top flight since March 2011.
Team News
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Espanyol will be without the services of two players through injury on Saturday, with Leandro Cabrera and Edu Exposito unavailable for selection.
Head coach Gonzalez is expected to keep faith with the majority of the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Real Betis, but there could be a change in the final third, with Alejo Veliz potentially returning to the side.
Javi Puado is the team's leading goalscorer this season with three, and the 26-year-old is a certain starter this weekend, with Alex Kral potentially moving into a deeper position.
As for Mallorca, Takuma Asano and Vedat Muriqi are two major absentees, while Siebe Van der Heyden and Javi Llabres are again expected to miss out for the in-form team.
Due to the manner of the performance against Real Valladolid last time out, it is difficult to imagine head coach Arrasate making changes, as no fresh fitness issues have been reported.
As a result, Dani Rodriguez should continue in the final third of the field alongside Cyle Larin, with Abdon Prats and Omar Mascarell likely to be among those on the bench for the first whistle.
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
Garcia; El Hilali, Gomez, Kumbulla, Romero; Carreras, Gragera, Kral, Puado; Veliz, Cheddira
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Roman; Maffeo, Raillo, Copete, Mojica; Navarro, Morlanes, Costa, Darder; D Rodriguez, Larin
We say: Espanyol 0-1 Mallorca
It is almost 14 years since Mallorca last beat Espanyol away from home in Spain's top flight, but we are backing a success for the Pirates here. The visitors are in excellent form and are so difficult to score against at the moment, so can see a narrow win for Arrasate's side on Saturday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
