Mallorca vs Sevilla prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-10-14 16:30.
With nine points after eight La Liga (LL) games this season, Mallorca may be cautiously optimistic after a solid enough start. Yet only three points separates them from a disappointing Sevilla side that sit in the third and final relegation spot ahead of the round, though Mallorca would’ve been a little closer than that had they not battled back to secure a point against Elche on Monday (1-1) in what one Spanish publication dubbed as “one of the worst” games of football they’ve seen!
Monsoon-like conditions briefly held up proceedings in that draw, in a game where Mallorca top scorer Vedat Muriqi was dismissed late on. His absence will undoubtedly weigh heavy on a Mallorca frontline who have scored just three goals when taking away Muriqi’s four so far, and ominously his side lost the only other game he has missed since his debut in February.
For only the second time in the 21st century, Sevilla have won just once after their opening eight LL games (W1, D3, L4), with the only other instance since the turn of the century being in 2002/03, a season Sevilla went on to finish ninth. But this campaign now has a different feel to it after Julen Lopetegui was dismissed and replaced by Jorge Sampaoli who takes over for his second spell in charge of Sevilla.
The Sampaoli era has got off to a steady start, with a 1-1 LL draw against Athletic Bilbao followed up by another stalemate via the same scoreline against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. Both games saw Sevilla run into the same issue though as they squandered a 1-0 lead, and having already thrown away seven points after scoring first this season in LL, that highlights a clear area of improvement for Sampaoli.
Players to watch: in the absence of Muriqi, Antonio RaĂllo is one of Mallorca’s three other scorers this season, but he is more well-known for collecting a yellow card, receiving three in his last seven appearances. Slightly more prolific, Sevilla’s Ă“liver Torres has already equalled his best-ever scoring LL season with three goals to his name so far this season, each was a first-half game opener.
Hot streak: Mallorca boss Javier Aguirre hasn’t won any of his last ten games as a manager against Sevilla in LL (D2, L8).