Mallorca kept their survival chances alive with a fortunate victory over Granada, and they now aim to further close the gap behind safety by recording back to back wins for the first time this season. Sevilla hammered Celta Vigo at home last time out, and they are now eager to improve their away record as well.

Light at the end of the tunnel

In spite of the excellent start to the league campaign that saw the team take 11 points from first 5 league fixtures, Mallorca quickly slipped into the relegation zone and they have been unable to escape it ever since. Having won just one game since September, the Islanders looked destined for the drop, but they somehow managed to boost their survival hopes by winning at Granada last weekend. Based on that performance alone, Mallorca cannot be trusted to see off Sevilla, given that they were completely outclassed by their opponents and scored a winner deep into injury time after Granada had missed a number of clear-cut chances. That basically means that team’s disappointing performances have not improved, but they rather recorded one lucky victory, and that is why I seriously doubt they can match very good Sevilla in this match. However, with the hosts desperately needing three points, there is every chance we will see an end-to-end game.

The hosts are likely to restrain from using full-back Luna in this match since they will have to pay €150,000 to his parent club Sevilla if he does play. Michael Pereira misses out through suspension, while Pedro Geromel, Antonio Lopez, Joao Victor and Arizmendi remain sidelined.

Sevilla need to improve on the travels

This season has been pretty difficult for Sevilla, both on and off the pitch, and it appears club’s difficult financial situation had a very negative effect on the players. Despite showings a lot of potential, los Rojiblancos struggled to fulfil their potential, and they are now in a very difficult situation. The team have, nonetheless, shown a massive improvement since the arrival of former Valencia boss Unai Emery, and they fought bravely in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico. Boosted by the good showing in the return leg, Sevilla hammered very good Celta Vigo side at home and they now aim to finally win on the road. They will not get much better chances than this to record a rare away win, and that is why the players are very motivated to do well in this match. Three points from Mallorca would see the team return into the race for European places, which give them enough motives to give their best at Iberostar Estadi.

Federico Fazio looks set to recover from a chest injury, but Diego Perotti, Piotr Trochowski and Jose Campagna remain in the infirmary.

Verdict

Mallorca have failed to show any improvement in spite of the lucky win against Granada, and the pressure of expectation is unlikely to help them when they take on Sevilla. Los Rojiblancos are playing great football at the moment and this will feel as a great chance to record a rare away victory.

Top pick: Over 2.5 goals   2.00 (1/1) @ Sportingbet

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   1.80 (4/5) @ 888sport

Alternative pick 2: Away win   2.30 (13/10) @ bet365

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