Mallorca - Real Sociedad predictions and free betting tips [18/02/2024]

Today as part of the 25th round of the Spanish Primera, Mallorca is set to host Real Sociedad. The visitors have not claimed a victory in any of their last five matches in all competitions, whereas the "islanders", last weekend, prevailed over Rayo Vallecano with a scoreline of 2:1.

Mallorca

Whilst Mallorca may be having a remarkable run in the Copa del Rey, where they made their way into the tournament's semifinals (0:0 in the first leg against Sociedad in Palma), their league performance has been substantially challenging, retaining a lowly 16th position, only six points clear of the relegation zone. This may be a relatively comfortable buffer, especially given that the islanders scored a great home win over Rayo Vallecano 2:1 last week - Ante Budimir making the decisive goal in the 91st minute. Notably, Palma's team had failed to secure victory five times in the league prior to this, including a 4:0 defeat in Bilbao against local Athletico. In this current campaign, the red-golds have only won three times whilst drawing seven out of their twelve home matches.

The islanders have not spoiled their home audience with a lot of goals: only 11 goals scored in 12 meetings, compared to 10 goals conceded. Budimir has put in four goals in five Copa del Rey matches and is to return this Sunday, whereas Martin Valjent and Pablo Maffeo are still out due to injuries. Both Bryan Reyna and Salva Sevilla scored five goals each in La Liga and were up to scratch during the last round and are set to start this time. We expect few changes from the starting lineup that bested Rayo.

Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad kicked off the Champions League playoffs last week and made a convincing first half against PSG but, in the end, could not withstand the mighty attack of the opponent, conceding two goals: from Mbappe and Icardi (2:0). After the match, Mikel Merino stated that his team is determined to turn around the situation in the return leg, which will take place at Real Arena in early March. Switching to the league, we note that the situation for Sociedad is complex: they are not even within the top six and, therefore, cannot contend for a European place (7th position); moreover, the striped team has not been able to score in five successive matches across all competitions. Last weekend, the squad from San

Sebastian even conceded defeat at home to Osasuna in the derby (0:1).
The away team is looking ahead to a challenging schedule: return matches for the Copa del Rey and Champions League are to be played by the 5th of March, plus meetings with Mallorca, Villarreal and Sevilla are coming up. Sociedad will again miss left-back Muñoz (most likely out for the season), the experienced Odriozola (knee ligament injury), Elustondo (injury), Carlos Fernandez (meniscus surgery), winter newcomer Becker (Union Berlin), Merkellanos (out for a few months), Bernetxea (injury), and captain Mikel Oyarzabal (8 goals in La Liga). Isak (6 goals, 3 assists in La Liga) returned from the Asian Cup and is set to lead the attack of Basques, and Umar Sadiq might start in place of Andre Silva.

Head to Head

The islanders have not beaten Real Sociedad in the Spanish league since September 2011, and in the first half of this season they suffered a 1:0 defeat.

Match Prediction Mallorca – Real Sociedad

The two matches between these clubs this season have not been particularly entertaining (only one goal in total). Sociedad's medical room is bursting at the seams, which prevents the coaching staff from properly rotating the squad, resulting in the Basques failing to score in five consecutive matches across all competitions. Mallorca, in contrast, shows progress and fights for its place in the elite. I presume that, in their current form, the islanders are at least capable of drawing.