Mallorca face Athletic Club in Monday night clash.

2024-10-22

Mallorca and Athletic Club face off in an enticing Monday night clash at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, where both teams aim to extend their impressive recent form in La Liga under the floodlights.

Mallorca

Mallorca returned to winning ways last weekend with a narrow 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano, where a powerful header from Vedat Muriqi clinched the win. This result marked their fourth victory in the last five La Liga outings, keeping their hopes for a Champions League spot alive.

With 17 points from their first 10 games this season, Mallorca are off to their best start since the 2009/10 campaign, when they posted an identical tally at this stage. Home advantage may prove crucial for the Los Bermellones, who have a solid record at Son Moix against the visitors in recent seasons.

Mallorca has avoided defeat in their last four home meetings with Athletic Club, with the two most recent matches ending in draws. The last time these sides drew three consecutive La Liga games in Mallorca was between 1969 and 1987.

Monday night matches have also been favourable for Mallorca on home soil, losing only one of their last 12 such fixtures in La Liga, a lone defeat to Real Madrid in March 2022. Muriqi, who scored the winner last time out, is expected to be joined by Cyle Larin up front in a classic 4-4-2 setup, while Takuma Asano remains a doubt.

Athletic Club

Athletic Club returns to La Liga action after a 1-0 win over Slavia Praha in the UEFA Champions League, securing consecutive victories following a recent slip against Girona. Just like Mallorca, the visitors have a strong track record in Monday night fixtures, suffering just one defeat in their last 14 away games on that day [6W, 7D, 1L].

The Basque club boasts an impressive track record against their hosts, having lost only one of their last 12 La Liga meetings with Mallorca [6W, 5D, 1L]. Their last defeat in this matchup came in February 2022, with a 2-3 scoreline, but the club has since recorded two consecutive clean sheets against Mallorca.

Another shutout on Monday would give them three consecutive clean sheets against Mallorca for the first time in over 30 years, a feat last achieved in 1991. Across all competitions, Club has proven dominant, losing only one of their last 15 encounters with Mallorca [8W, 6D, 1L], including a memorable Copa del Rey final triumph last season.

Expected to line up in a 4-5-1 formation, manager Ernesto Valverde will likely look to Gorka Guruzeta to lead the attack. Goalkeeper Unai Simón remains the only notable absentee for the match.