Two teams with just a point to show from their opening two La Liga matches of the 2024-25 campaign will lock horns on Tuesday evening, with Mallorca welcoming Sevilla to Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
Mallorca will enter the contest off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Osasuna, while Sevilla were beaten 2-1 at home by Villarreal in their second game of the new season.
Match preview
© Imago
Mallorca held the champions Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in their opening match of the new La Liga campaign, but they were unable to build on that positive result in their second game of the season.
Indeed, Jagoba Arrasate's side will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Osasuna, with Ruben Garcia scoring the only goal in the early stages of the second period at El Sadar.
The Pirates will be determined to bounce back in their second home game of the season, and they recorded a 1-0 victory in this fixture when the two teams locked horns during the 2023-24 campaign.
Mallorca have only made three signings this summer, with Johan Mojica, Takuma Asano and Mateu Morey arriving to boost the squad, while their biggest outgoing has been Predrag Rajkovic to Saudi Arabia.
The Palma outfit, who finished 15th in Spain's top flight last term, will end August with a trip to Leganes, before returning to action after the international break with a home game against Villarreal.
© Imago
Sevilla, meanwhile, have also only picked up one point from their first two matches of the season, which came against Las Palmas on August 16.
Garcia Pimienta's side will enter this game off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Villarreal; it did appear that the points would be shared at Estadio Ramon, with Dodi Lukebakio cancelling out an opener from Arnaut Danjuma, but Ayoze Perez won it for the Yellow Submarine in the 95th minute.
Sevilla have been busy this summer, signing eight players in total, while there have also been some major departures, with the biggest of those proving to be Youssef En-Nesyri to Fenerbahce.
Los Nervionenses finished 14th last season, which proved to be their lowest final spot in Spain's top flight since being relegated at the end of the 1999-2000 campaign.
Sevilla have enjoyed the better of their recent meetings with Mallorca, though, triumphing in three of the last four league games between the two sides, including a 2-1 success at Estadio Ramon in April of this year.
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Team News
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Mallorca will again be without the services of two players on Tuesday night, with new signing Morey on the treatment table alongside Javi Llabres.
Head coach Arrasate is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack considering the performance against Real Madrid at home last time out, so a 4-3-3 formation should see Dani Rodriguez continue down the left.
There is likely to be a change in midfield, though, with Manu Morlanes pushing to replace Omar Mascarell.
As for Sevilla, Suso and Joan Jordan remain unavailable for selection, while Kike Salas is a doubt due to the issue which forced him off the field in the second period against Villarreal last time out.
Head coach Garcia Pimienta is set to make changes to his side for this game, with Djibril Sow and Marcao expected to be introduced, while there could be a start through the middle for Kelechi Iheanacho.
Saul Niguez should retain his spot in central midfield, though, and Lukebakio is also expected to feature, having found the back of the net in the loss to Villarreal.
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Greif; Maffeo, Valjent, Raillo, Mojica; S Costa, Morlanes, Darder; Asano, Muriqi, D Rodriguez
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Carmona, Bade, Marcao, Pedrosa; Sow, Agoume, Saul; Lukebakio, Iheanacho, Ocampos
We say: Mallorca 1-0 Sevilla
Mallorca beat Sevilla 1-0 in the corresponding game last season, and we can see the same scoreline here. Both teams found it difficult last time out, but home advantage should allow Mallorca to pick up all three points.
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