Mallorca vs Real Sociedad prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-02-17 17:30.
A 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano last weekend provided Mallorca with a timely boost in their relegation battle, but manager Javier Aguirre will be all too aware that his side are still too close to the bottom three for comfort. The Pirates head into this round of fixtures with a six-point cushion from the danger zone, a far cry from last season when they achieved their highest La Liga finish (ninth) in more than a decade.
When looking at their home form, it is difficult to see how Mallorca could be in trouble. They have lost just one of their last 11 league fixtures at Son Moix (W3, D7), accounting for 16 of their 23 points across the course of the campaign. Continuing that proud home record may be tough against opponents Real Sociedad, whom they have not beaten in their last ten attempts (D2, L8), registering a total of just one goal in the process.
One of those games came earlier this month, when the two teams played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final. With the return fixture taking place towards the end of February, it is fair to say these two teams will become fairly familiar with each other. The visitors will therefore be hopeful they have worked out how to break down the Pirates’ defence, as a goal-shy strikeforce attempt to end a run of five games across all competitions (D3, L2) without scoring.
That means Imanol Alguacil’s side have lost a little bit of ground in their quest for a UEFA Champions League place, a competition in which they lost 2-0 away to Paris St-Germain in the Round of 16 on Wednesday. They are generally incredibly tough to beat on the road though, losing just one of their last eight La Liga away games (W3, D4), keeping clean sheets in four of those outings.
Players to watch: Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi ended his near five-month wait for a goal when striking against Rayo Vallecano, and has now seen six of his last seven strikes serve as the first or last of the game. For Real Sociedad, Mikel Merino will attempt to add a seventh win in his eight La Liga H2H (D1) as well as improve his personal H2H record of two goals.
Hot stat: Only 54% of Mallorca’s La Liga matches produced over 1.5 goals, a low for the division.