Two mid-table La Liga teams seeking to end 2023 on a high square off at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix on Thursday night as Mallorca play host to Osasuna.
Both sides lock horns for the first time since March when they played out a goalless draw in the corresponding fixture last season.
Match preview
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After beating Valle Egues and Sevilla without reply in the Copa del Rey and La Liga respectively, Mallorca had to settle for a just a point in a goalless stalemate with basement club Almeria last weekend.
Los Bermellones seemingly left their shooting boots in the dressing room as they only registered two of their 20 shots on target. However, Javier Aguirre's side have made notable improvements at the back in recent weeks as they have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four matches – three of which in La Liga which is their best run since March 2009.
Mallorca have drawn a league-high nine games so far this season and their inability to turn solitary points into three has prevented them from climbing into the top half of the table; Aguirre's men currently sit 15th and just two points above the relegation zone.
Across eight La Liga home matches this season, Mallorca have drawn six times and have scored the fewest goals (five) in the division in front of their own fans.
Hopes of claiming three valuable points on Thursday appear to be slim, as Mallorca have won just one of their last 11 La Liga meetings with Osasuna and have failed to come out in top in any of their previous five encounters on home soil.
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Osasuna ended a six-game winless run in La Liga when they claimed a slender 1-0 home victory over Rayo Vallecano last weekend courtesy of a dramatic 95th-minute winner from substitute Raul Garcia – his first goal for Los Rojillos and first in the Spanish top flight.
Three much-needed points secured at Estadio El Sadar has slightly eased the pressure on head coach Jagoba Arrasate, who has seen his side climb to 12th in the table and six points clear of the relegation zone.
Osasuna, who finished seventh in La Liga last season, have fared marginally better away from home so far this term having picked up 10 of their 19 points on the road, although they have failed to win any of their last four top-flight away matches and have conceded 10 goals in the process.
Los Rojillos will fancy their chances of success on Thursday, though, as they have only lost one of their last five visits to Mallorca, while they collected four points across both home and away fixtures with Los Bermellones last season, keeping two clean sheets in the process.
Team News
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Mallorca duo Martin Valjent (knee) and Vedat Muriqi (ankle) are both ruled out through injury until the New Year, while Omar Mascarell was forced off in the first half against Almeria with discomfort in his left leg and has emerged as a major doubt for Thursday.
Toni Lato missed last weekend's game with a muscle issue and will also be assessed ahead of kickoff, so Aguirre may consider selecting Jose Manuel Copete to start in a back three alongside Matija Nastasic and Antonio Raillo as Pablo Maffeo and Jaume Costa continue as wing-backs.
Cyle Larin scored his first goal of the season in Mallorca's last home match against Sevilla, and the Canadian will hope to fend off competition from Abdon Prats for a start as the central striker either side of wingers Antonio Sanchez and Dani Rodriguez.
As for Osasuna, Johan Mojica is ruled out until February with ligament damage, while Kike Barja has missed the last four games with a hamstring problem and remains a doubt for Thursday.
Ruben Pena recovered from a minor injury to start last weekend and the left-back is expected to retain his place in defence alongside Jesus Areso, David Garcia and Juan Cruz, although the latter could be replaced at centre-back by Alejandro Catena.
Ante Budimir scored his eighth La Liga goal of the season in his last away match against Cadiz and the Croatian forward is set to lead the line once again, with Ezequiel Avila and Ruben Garcia the most likely duo to provide support in the final third.
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Copete, Raillo, Nastasic; Maffeo, Darder, S. Costa, J. Costa; Sanchez, Larin, Rodriguez
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Areso, Catena, D. Garcia, Pena; Oroz, Torro, M. Gomez; Avila, Budimir, Ruben Garcia
We say: Mallorca 1-1 Osasuna
Only three goals have been scored across the last three meetings between Mallorca and Osasuna, and another closely-fought low-scoring contest could be on the cards on Thursday.
The two teams will view this fixture as a good opportunity to claim maximum points in their quest to climb into the top 10, but considering that there is little separate both sides, we believe that the spoils will be shared on this occasion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
