Mallorca vs Valencia

Visit Mallorca Estadi is the venue as Mallorca and Valencia go head-to-head in a bottom-half La Liga encounter.

Even though a 3-0 loss at Almeria last weekend equaled their joint-heaviest defeat of the season, Mallorca secured mathematical safety courtesy of Cadiz’s 2-0 home victory over relegation-threatened Valladolid. However, there’s not much Javier Aguirre’s men can celebrate going into this round, especially after going winless in four of their last five league outings (W1, D1, L3). But Mallorca’s impressive home form vastly improves the overall picture, with ‘Los Piratas’ racking up six wins in their ten La Liga home fixtures in 2023 (D3, L1). Since four of those six triumphs yielded a narrow 1-0 scoreline, a tight affair could be on the cards. Topically, four of Mallorca’s last six top-flight H2Hs have been determined by a margin of under 1.5 goals (W3, D1, L2).

In the meantime, Valencia’s bid to avoid what would be a shock relegation to the Segunda Division received a massive blow at the weekend as a surprising 1-0 home win over Real Madrid marked their second straight league victory, steering them five points from the red zone. Yet they have not won three top-flight matches on the trot since December 2021, a feat they’re unlikely to achieve this midweek, given their underwhelming four-game league form at Mallorca (D1, L2). Additionally, Ruben Baraja’s men have seemingly found their feet on hostile turf, registering two wins on their last two La Liga travels (L1), one more than in their first 14 away league games this season (W1, D3, L10). High scoring has been a common in Valencia’s recent top-flight outings on the road, as four of the last five have featured over 2.5 goals.