Villarreal vs Mallorca prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-11-05 17:30.
Despite being so early in his tenure, there is an aura of ‘make or break’ descending upon the four games in ten days that the winless Quique Setién (D1, L2) and Villarreal face leading into the FIFA World Cup break. After being thrashed 3-0 away to Lech Poznań with a rotated squad in an inconsequential UEFA Europa Conference League game during the week, the hosts have the chance to move closer to or even into the top six of the standings prior to that intermission.
Anything short of two commanding La Liga (LL) wins against bottom-half clubs Mallorca and Espanyol would represent a disastrous start to Setién’s tenure and a missed opportunity, especially as a following Copa del Rey game against a sixth tier opponent could see Villarreal end November with three straight wins across all competitions. The modest crowds making the hour-long trip to Valencia for ‘home’ games throughout the season have been given plenty to celebrate, with Villarreal maintaining an unbeaten record (W6, D2) at Estadi Ciutat de València across all competitions this season.
Mallorca’s campaign took a modest step forward in their previous fixture when a 1-1 draw at home to Espanyol secured them points in back-to-back league outings for just the second time this season. Any hopes of building some consistency and fluency in their game took a hit when manager Javier Aguirre and winger Pablo Maffeo were both sent off from the bench, whilst defender Antonio Raillo collected his fifth yellow card.
The visitors are therefore going to have to play out of their skins to extend their buffer from the relegation zone, but that is something they’ve done more than once on the road this season. Mallorca have actually taken points from three of five LL away trips as underdogs (W2, D1, L2), all against clubs in the top half of the standings after the previous round.
Players to watch: Álex Baena would be itching for some game time after domestic and continental suspensions in the past fortnight, particularly after goals in five Villarreal wins across all competitions this season. Meanwhile, Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi joined the unstoppable Robert Lewandowski as one of just two players to have scored at least four LL away goals in 2022/23 after the last round.
Hot stat: Villarreal have recorded 11 goals and conceded just two after the 76th minute across all competitions in 2022/23.