Mallorca vs Villarreal prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-02-17 17:30.
Mallorca will be breathing a sigh of relief at a return to Son Moix, as they look to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat away to Sevilla last weekend. Javier Aguirre’s side have now lost four successive away matches without scoring, the polar opposite to their results at home, where they have notched up four La Liga (LL) wins in a row for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign.
Remarkably, each of those victories has come by way of a 1-0 scoreline, meaning the Pirates have still only conceded six goals on home soil this season which leaves them with the division’s second best defensive record. They now sit comfortably in mid-table, not only defying their pre-season tag as one of the favourites to get relegated, but also dreaming of an unlikely European qualification for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Mallorca supporters may be confident of racking up another win against visitors Villarreal, who have scored just once across their last five trips to Son Moix (D2, L3). The Yellow Submarine have also hit a wretched run of form in their push for a top-six finish, losing three successive league games for the first time since March 2020, alarmingly failing to score in two of those defeats.
Manager Quique Setién does not seem too concerned about the recent run, insisting he was “happy with the team’s work” despite a 1-0 home defeat to Barcelona last weekend. What will worry him is that Villarreal, who have now dropped out of the top six, lost 3-1 to bottom club Elche in their last away fixture, extending a dreadful run on the road to just one win and three goals scored in their last nine away league outings (D3, L5).
Key battle: Striker Vedat Muriqi has won nine of his 14 goalscoring appearances for Mallorca (D2, L3), including a 2-0 victory over Villarreal earlier this season. Trying to keep him quiet might be Yellow Submarine captain and defender Raúl Albiol, who has helped his side keep a clean sheet in half of his 16 clashes with the Pirates (W10, D1, L5).
Hot stat: Only one of Mallorca’s ten home league games has seen three or more goals, with the average of 1.4 goals per game at San Moix the lowest in LL.