Deportivo Alaves vs Mallorca

Deportivo Alaves and Mallorca will lock horns at the Estadio Mendizorrotza in a potentially low-scoring La Liga fixture. Each of their last seven league encounters has seen one or both teams fail to score in matches garnering under 2.5 total goals.

Despite holding last season’s runners-up Real Madrid to a goalless half-time stalemate, Deportivo Alaves ended up on the wrong end of a 4-1 scoreline in their 2021/22 La Liga opener last weekend. Indeed, ‘El Glorioso’ are no strangers to slow league starts, having suffered four opening day defeats in five seasons now. However, the hosts can draw confidence from going unbeaten in their previous three La Liga matches against newly-promoted sides, winning the last two in a row without conceding. Bear that in mind, especially considering they’ve won their last four league H2Hs here ‘to nil.’ Moreover, despite their paltry goalscoring return in 2020/21, Javier Calleja’s men have found the back of the net in seven straight home La Liga games, snetting an average of 1.71 goals per match across that sequence.

In the meantime, Mallorca could only manage a 1-1 home draw with Real Betis upon return to La Liga despite restricting the opposition to a single shot on target on Matchday 1. Even though they played second-tier opponents last term, Mallorca’s ability to hold onto a lead is a clear pattern, as witnessed by the fact they went unbeaten in all 25 LaLiga 2 matches when breaking the deadlock in 2020/21 (W23, D2). But if they are to avoid a swift return to the second tie, Mallorca will need to improve upon their away form from their previous top-flight campaign, having won just once in 19 La Liga trips in 2019/20 (W1, D3, L15). Worryingly, though, ‘Los Piratas’ claimed only one victory in their final eight Segunda road trips last season (D3, L4).