Mallorca vs Real Sociedad prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-03-11 13:00.
Sundayâs early La Liga (LL) clash sees Mallorca host Champions League chasing Real Sociedad, who have been described as Mallorcaâs âworst possible enemyâ due to their dreadful recent record against the Basque team. Itâs been a rough time to be a Pirates fan recently, with coach Javier Aguirre aiming to avoid a third consecutive LL loss for the first time in his tenure after suffering defeats to relegation-threatened Espanyol (2-1) and Elche (1-0) which threaten to pull the club into some drop-zone drama.
Avoiding that unwanted record against a Real Sociedad side Mallorca have lost to in each of their seven contests since 2012 will be no mean feat however, particularly as they havenât even managed to score against these opponents during that same time! It seems starting quickly could be the secret to setting that record straight, as the Pirates have not lost a LL home game after netting first since July 2020 (W12, D4).
Sociedadâs stock continues to rise amidst an impressive season that has seen them become an unlikely frontrunner to snatch a top-four finish. Their ascent perhaps shouldnât surprise, with their prestigious academy producing the likes of Sociedadâs talented Mikel Oyarzabal, and their popularity displayed by a quarter of the Premier Leagueâs current managers having worked in some capacity in the Gipuzkoa province.
A club that "belongs to everybody" according to the club directors is perhaps just going off the boil however, as a four-game winless run bookended by a 2-0 loss to Roma in the Europa League threatens to undo their endeavours (D2, L2). The Txuri-Urdin will be desperate to stop the rot here, and after losing 1-0 to Valencia in their last league away outing, they will now hope to avoid successive LL away losses for the first time since December 2021.
Players to watch: In the absence of star-forward Vedat Muriqi, Mallorca may look towards midfielder Daniel RodrĂguez who has three goal contributions (G2, A1) across his last three outings. Sociedadâs Mikel Merino often makes himself known in this fixture, securing three goal contributions (G2, A1) and two yellow cards across his last five H2H league outings.
Hot stat: Only two LL sides have won more games âto nilâ than Sociedad and Mallorca (both seven) ahead of this round.