Athletic Bilbao will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome Mallorca to San Mames on Friday evening.
The Basque outfit are currently fifth in the La Liga table, boasting 42 points from their 22 matches, while Mallorca sit in 15th, only four points above the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Athletic are chasing silverware this season, with the Basque side in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, and the first leg of their last-four clash against Atletico Madrid will take place on February 7.
Ernesto Valverde's side are also firmly in a top-four race this season, with a strong La Liga campaign seeing them pick up 42 points from their 22 matches courtesy of a record of 12 wins, six draws and four losses.
Athletic are fifth in the table, two points behind fourth-placed Barcelona, but they have only managed to pick up one point from their last two games, losing at Valencia before drawing with Cadiz on Sunday.
The Lions will be pleased to be back on home soil on Friday, having collected 26 points from their 11 games in front of their own supporters, winning eight times in the process.
Athletic, who have not claimed a top-four finish in La Liga for 10 years, are winless in their last four league games against Mallorca, though, including a goalless draw in the reverse game earlier this season.
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Mallorca also picked up a point in a goalless draw at San Mames in the corresponding contest last season, but the Pirates have had a relatively disappointing 2023-24 campaign, currently sitting down in 15th position.
Winning matches has been a real problem for Javier Aguirre's side this term, only picking up the maximum points on three occasions from 22 league games, and they have been the draw specialists in Spain's top flight this season, sharing the points on 11 occasions.
Mallorca are also in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, with the first leg of their semi-final against Real Sociedad due to take place on February 6.
However, like Athletic, they cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in the league, with just four points separating them from the bottom three, and the visitors will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Real Betis.
Mallorca finished ninth in Spain's top flight last season, but they will be looking behind them at this stage of the campaign, and it is not unthinkable for them to be in a relegation fight come the end of the campaign.
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Athletic are again expected to be missing Alex Berenguer and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta for Friday's contest, but the Basque outfit have no fresh injury concerns.
There will be changes from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Cadiz last time out, with Oihan Sancet, Nico Williams and Gorka Guruzeta all set to return to the side.
Unai Gomez, Malcom Adu and Asier Villalibre are likely to drop down to the bench, but Ander Herrera is expected to keep hold of his starting role in midfield.
As for Mallorca, Pablo Maffeo is on the sidelines with a knee problem, while Samu Costa is a doubt with the issue that forced him off in the first half of the loss to Real Betis last time out.
Omar Mascarell replaced Costa off the bench in the clash with Manuel Pellegrini's side, and the number five is now likely to earn a spot in the starting side.
There could also be a position in the XI for Vedat Muriqi, who has come off the bench in his side's last three matches after working his way back from a calf problem.
Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Lekue; Vesga, Herrera; I Williams, Sancet, N Williams; Guruzeta
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Gonzalez, Valjent, Raillo, Nastasic, Lato; Morlanes, Mascarell, Darder; Muriqi, Larin
We say: Athletic Bilbao 2-1 Mallorca
Muriqi's return to fitness is huge for Mallorca, and it would not be a surprise to see him on the scoresheet for the visitors here. Athletic will be determined to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight, though, and we are expecting them to navigate their way to all three points on Friday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
