Villarreal vs Mallorca predictions and match preview for Sunday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, team news and predicted lineups as Quique Setien targets his first win as Villarreal boss.
| Date | Sunday 6th November 2022 |
| Kick-Off | 18:30 (local time) |
| Stadium | Ciutat de Valencia |
| Competition | LaLiga |
Villarreal vs Mallorca Preview
Villarreal have not made a good start to life under Quique Setien and the new boss will be very eager to get his first win here. The visit of Mallorca in theory offers him a good chance to do that although Javier Aguirre’s side have proven themselves to be tough opposition this season for some of the bigger clubs.
The transition from Unai Emery to Quique Setien was always most likely going to take a bit of time at Villarreal and the World Cup break should provide the new man with a better opportunity to stamp his mark on this team. There have certainly been some early teething problems for the Yellow Submarine as they try to adapt to his ultra possession based approach and insistence on building from the back.
Setien’s three games so far have resulted in just one point from two outings against unfancied Conference League opposition and a 1-0 defeat in Bilbao in LaLiga where they were a distant second best. A 3-0 loss at Lech Poznan on Thursday night was not damaging with Villarreal already having done enough to win their group, but it was still a concerning performance and they will need to be much better here.
Mallorca may sense a bit of weakness in Villarreal right now in a game that will serve as a real contrast of styles. Jaguar Aguirre will know his side are not going to see much of the ball in this game but he will fancy his side can still ask questions and potentially pounce on the kind of errors that their opponents have been making since the change of coach.
Their form has been relatively mixed. It’s only 1 win in 6 league outings for the Balearic side but they have taken 4 points from their last 2, with an excellent 2-1 win at Valencia followed up by a home draw against Espanyol. They are hampered here by two defensive suspensions though after Pablo Maffeo saw red last time out while Antonio Raillo collected his 5th booking of the season.
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Team News & Possible Lineups
Villarreal
| INJURED | Lo Celso |
| DOUBTFUL | Pedraza, Albiol, Gerard Moreno |
| BANNED |
Possible XI: Rulli – Moreno, Torres, Mandi, Femenia – Parejo, Capoue, Trigueros – Baena, Danjuma, Chukwueze (4-3-3)
Coach: Quique Setien
Mallorca
| INJURED | Greif, Kadewere, Maffeo |
| DOUBTFUL | |
| BANNED | Maffeo, Raillo |
Possible XI: Rajkovic – Costa, Copete, Valjent, Nastacic, Giovanni – Baba, Dani Rodriguez, Galaretta – Muriqi, Kang-in (5-3-2)
Coach: Javier Aguirre
Score Prediction: Villarreal 1-0 Mallorca
It hasn’t been convincing from Villarreal so far under Setien but they have only really had one game that truly mattered, against Athletic in LaLiga last weekend. Mallorca don’t have the personnel to press so high up the pitch which should make this a slightly more comfortable experience for the Yellow Submarine but they will need to be patient as they try to break down a well organised Mallorca defence. The hosts might just have enough to get the win but it could be a tight game.
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.
