Mallorca vs Almeria predictions and match preview for Saturday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as two bottom half teams meet.
| Date | Saturday 17th September 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 14:00 (local time) |
| Stadium | Son Moix |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Mallorca vs Almeria Preview
Two sides who might be expected to be in the relegation picture this season meet on Saturday. Both Mallorca and Almeria will see this as an opportunity to try and put three points on the board prior to the international break.
Right now, Mallorca feel the more convincing side. They’ve a very clear identity under Javier Aguirre and you know what you are going to get from them each week. Some of those defensive flaws which contributed to some heavy defeats at the end of last season appear to have been ironed out. While they did concede four at Real Madrid last time out, the scoreline was largely the reflection of some outstanding individual goals rather than shoddy defending.
While there is perhaps a danger that Mallorca become too predictable, for now they are having some joy with playing with a 5-3-2 system and using targetman Verat Mudiqi as their main outlet. He was on target again at the Bernabeu and will be Mallorca’s main threat again here. The Balearic Island side are going to need either Lee Kang-in or a few midfielders to contribute goals though, otherwise they could end up being far too dependent on their main frontman.
Almeria perhaps have more potential and individual talent in their ranks but right now they aren’t doing the basics well enough. They were second best on Monday night against Osasuna, failing to really create any serious openings and losing the game 1-0. It could have been worse in truth and Rubi feels like a coach who could do with a couple of weeks to work with these players over the international break.
Several of them arrived very late in the window, including some youngsters from abroad who will need to adapt to life in a new country as well as a new league. The loss of Umar Sadiq has clearly hit them hard but we have seen enough from fellow forward Largie Ramazani to suggest he certainly belongs at this level. Rubi’s challenge now will be to try and find the best combinations around him and that may take some time to perfect.
Team News & Possible Lineups
Mallorca
| INJURED | Amath, Greif, Battaglia, Kadewere |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Rajkovic – Jaume Costa, Copete, Raillo, Valjent, Maffeo – Baba, Dani Rodriguez, Galaretta – Muriqi, Kang-in (5-3-2)
Almeria
| INJURED | Nieto, Martos, Baptistao, De La Hoz, Centelles, Rojas |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Fernando – Babic, Kaiky, Ely – Akieme, Samu Costa, Eguaras, Pozo – Robertone – Ramazani, Sousa (3-4-1-2)
Score Prediction: Mallorca 2-0 Almeria
Almeria haven’t looked at all convincing in their last two games and they appear to be in a transitional phase while new players are integrated into the team. Mallorca are much more settled and have a clearer idea of what they are trying to do. A home win looks likely.
PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
