Mallorca counts their last four home games for victories, one of them substantial against Madrid
Quique Setién’s Villarreal, meanwhile, has chained three consecutive defeats in the domestic competition
Mallorca, winners in their last four home gamestwo of them against Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid, will receive this Saturday the Villarreal, who has chained three consecutive defeatsin a clash of opposite streaks in Son Moix.
The Mexican team Javier Aguirre has turned its stadium into a fort -He has not lost since last October 15 (0-1 against Sevilla)- but what he adds on the island stagnates when he plays abroad: five consecutive days they accumulate the vermilions without winning as visitors.
Mallorca clings to Son Moix and the effectiveness of the few goals they get in front of their fans -the 1-0 score has been enough for them to add the last 12 points at home- and stay in the placid zone of the table of classifications.
Aguirre will have the entire squad to face the visit of Quique Setién’s team, including midfielder Manu Morlanes, on loan from the Castellón team until the end of the season. He made his debut in last day’s defeat against Sevilla and has options to be part of the starting eleven.
The “Vasco” also recovers the left back Jaume Costaanother former Villarreal player, who was absent from Sánchez Pizjuán due to the accumulation of bookings.
The Mallorcan fans trust in the great performance at home and the incessant support of their fans to add the three points that would bring them closer to the great goal of permanence.
None of the rival teams have scored in the last four visits to Palma, where goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic has shone in a special way. The Serbian has kept a clean sheet eight times this season with an average of 2.46 saves per game for a total of 48.
Villarreal travels to Mallorca in a complicated situationsince to the bad streak of results that they have chained in the last three days, the casualties with which they face the game are added.
Quique Setién’s team has three consecutive defeats in the League, which has taken them out of the European positions in which they have moved in recent times.
His current bad streak is compounded by the poor results he stars in on his visits to Palma, where he accumulates five games without winning and his last victory dates from the 08-09 season. In addition, one of the most difficult defeats this season was the one that the people of Castellón reaped against Mallorca at home and that triggered the first crisis with Setién.
Along with the need to win, Villarreal finds itself in this displacement with numerous casualties since at absences of Gio Lo Celso, Nico Jackson, Francis Coquelin and Gerard Moreno due to injury, side Alberto Moreno was dropped due to suspension.
Furthermore, they are doubt Alfonso Pedraza and Alex Baenasince the former has returned to group work this week after a month of injury, while the latter has spent a couple of days without training with the group.
POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS
Majorca: Rajkovic; Maffeo, Raillo, Valjent, Copete, Costa; Morlanes, Ruiz de Galarreta, Dani Rodríguez; Kang In Lee; and Muriqi.
Villarreal: Pepe Reina, Juan Foyth, Albiol, Pau Torres, Mojica; Parejo, Étienne Capoue, Álex Baena or Trigueros; Samu Chukwueze, Morales and Yeremy Pino.
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez (Murcia).
Stadium: Majorca Son Moix.
Hour: 18.30