Preview: Sevilla vs. Mallorca - prediction, team news, lineups

Jorge Sampaoli's side are currently 16th in the table, two points clear of the relegation zone, while Mallorca occupy 10th, boasting 28 points from their opening 20 matches of the campaign.

Match preview

Sevilla have won three of their last five games in La Liga, which has allowed them to move out of the relegation zone, but they are still only two points ahead of 18th-placed Cadiz on the same number of games (20).

Sampaoli's side will be pleased to be back at home this weekend, as they have been victorious in their last three in front of their own fans against Getafe, Cadiz and Elche.

Los Nervionenses travelled to league leaders Barcelona last weekend but were not given much change from Xavi's side, suffering a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou, with Jordi Alba, Gavi and Raphinha on the scoresheet for the hosts.

Sevilla have finished fourth in each of their last three La Liga seasons, while they have not been below seventh for 10 years, but a bottom-half finish this term is a real possibility for the club.

Sampaoli's side are currently seven points behind 10th-placed Mallorca, while they are 14 points off the top four, so a spot in next season's Champions League is almost certainly beyond them.

Sevilla recorded a 1-0 victory when they travelled to Mallorca earlier this season, while they have not lost to Saturday's opponents in any competition since March 2013.

Mallorca did manage to pick up a point in a goalless draw on their last trip to Estadio Ramon, though, with the fixture taking place in the latter stages of last season.

The Pirates will enter this match off the back of a hugely impressive 1-0 victory over the champions Real Madrid, with an own goal from Nacho in the 13th minute proving to be the difference between the teams.

The result moved Javier Aguirre's side onto 28 points, boasting a record of eight wins, four draws and eight defeats from their 20 La Liga matches during the 2022-23 campaign.

Mallorca are nine points clear of the relegation zone and just three points from the top six, so they should be looking up the table at this stage rather than down.

Los Bermellones finished 16th on their return to La Liga last season, which has been their highest placing at this level since claiming eighth in 2011-12.

Mallorca have picked up 11 points from their 10 away league games this season, and they will be taking on a Sevilla outfit with 12 points from 10 matches at Estadio Ramon.

Sevilla La Liga form:

D

W

L

W

W

L

Sevilla form (all competitions):

L

W

W

L

W

L

Mallorca La Liga form:

L

W

L

W

L

W

Mallorca form (all competitions):

W

L

L

W

L

W

Team News

Sevilla were missing Papu Gomez, Jesus Navas, Alex Telles, Marcao and Jesus Manuel Corona through injury against Barcelona and that is again expected to be the case for this match.

Sampaoli's side are likely to revert to a back four, with Erik Lamela and Rafa Mir both pushing to come into the side in the forward positions.

Karim Rekik is expected to be the player to drop out in the middle of the defence, while Ivan Rakitic could also drop down to the bench for the home side this weekend.

Mallorca, meanwhile, will have Copete available again following a suspension, and the Spaniard is expected to return in a defensive position for the visitors.

Aguirre's side will be missing Jaume Costa, though, following the booking that he picked up against Real Madrid, which could open the door for Ludwig Augustinsson to feature as the left-sided wing-back.

There are unlikely to be any alterations further forward, with Dani Rodriguez and Lee Kang-in again set to support Vedat Muriqi in the final third of the field.

Sevilla possible starting lineup:

Bounou; Montiel, Bade, Gudelj, Acuna; Torres, Gueye, Jordan, Lamela; En-Nesyri, Mir

Mallorca possible starting lineup:

Rajkovic; Maffeo, Gonzalez, Raillo, Copete, Augustinsson; D Rodriguez, Baba, Ruiz de Galarreta, Kang-in; Muriqi

We say: Sevilla 1-1 Mallorca

Sevilla have won their last three games in front of their own supporters, but Mallorca were excellent against Real Madrid last time out and will therefore enter this match full of confidence. It would not be at all surprising to see a home win, but we just have a feeling that Mallorca could navigate their way to a point.

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