Real Valladolid hoping to end five-match winless run in Mallorca clash.

2024-09-21

Valladolid, desperate to break a five-match winless streak, will rely on their historical home advantage against Mallorca, who are flying high in fifth place with ironclad defense, in a Friday night showdown at Estadio José Zorrilla.

Real Valladolid

Valladolid are coming off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Sevilla. An own goal by David Torres just before the break put Valladolid behind, but Kike Perez restored parity with a goal four minutes before the hour mark. However, Chidera Ejuke found the net for Sevilla with five minutes left, leaving Paulo Pezzolano's side with a fourth defeat in seven league games (1W, 2D, 4L).

‘We are leaving hurt because we were convinced that we could take the result,’ Pezzolano stated post-match. Albivioletas, without a win in five games, sit in 18th place with five points—a streak they aim to end against Mallorca at home this Friday.

However, the newly promoted side faces teething problems that manager Pezzolano must address to return to winning ways. Valladolid have the worst defensive record in La Liga, conceding 15 goals, while also struggling offensively, having only scored three times. Yet, they have historically dominated this fixture at home, winning 13 of the 21 encounters against Mallorca in La Liga.

With hopes of reviving their season, Valladolid will likely deploy a 4—3—3 formation, featuring Darwin Machis, Marcos André, and Amath Ndiaye in attack.

Mallorca

Mallorca have made a fine start to this La Liga campaign, currently standing in 5th place with 11 points from seven matches (3W, 2D, & 2L). Los Piratas recently secured an impressive 2-1 win away at Real Betis, thanks to a late winner from Valery Fernández in the 93rd minute.

Jagoba Arrasate praised the victory, highlighting the difficulty of winning at Betis' ground and against a strong opponent. He emphasized that it was a significant achievement given the challenge of these matches.

Mallorca's strong start is largely due to their defensive strength, having conceded only five goals so far, ranking them joint-second for least goals conceded alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid. Arrasate is optimistic their defensive record will be an asset as they aim for a third consecutive win against Valladolid.

A 4-2-3-1 formation with Cyle Larin in attack is expected for their upcoming match.