'We will have to defend well,' Sevilla boss Pimienta says ahead of Mallorca clash.

2024-09-15

In a midweek clash at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, both Mallorca and Sevilla seek their first victories of the season, with Mallorca eyeing their first back-to-back home wins over Sevilla in La Liga since 1999 and Sevilla buoyed by their strong record in Tuesday fixtures.

Mallorca

Mallorca have now gone two games without a win, recording a draw and a loss. Their most recent setback was a 1-0 defeat against Osasuna, with Rubén García Santos scoring the only goal in the 55th minute at El Sadar. This loss came after a 1-1 draw with Madrid, a result that initially fuelled some early-season optimism.

Tuesday’s clash with Sevilla offers Mallorca an opportunity to rectify the issues from Match Day 2, as they come up against a team facing similar challenges. Although Mallorca have lost only four of their last 10 home games, their record against Sevilla isn't encouraging, with just one win in their last eight encounters. This record might not inspire much confidence for Tuesday night's game.

Interestingly, Mallorca secured a 1-0 victory over Sevilla in December 2023. A win on Tuesday night would give the Pirates back-to-back home wins over Sevilla for only the third time in La Liga history, and it would be their first successive home wins over them since 1999.

In terms of lineup, Mallorca are expected to field a 4—3—3 formation with Vedat Muriqi, Dani Rodríguez, and Takuma Asano leading the attack. On the other side, Jagoba Arrasate's squad will be missing Javi Llabrés for this midweek clash.

Sevilla

Sevilla suffered a 2-1 loss to Villarreal on Friday night, with a stoppage-time goal from Ayoze Pérez [90’+5] providing the decisive moment. Now, they are seeking their first win of the season after two matches without a victory [0W, 1D, 1L].

Currently sitting in 14th place, Sevilla is experiencing another slow start to the season. Despite this, a solid record in games played on Tuesday will offer encouragement, as they have lost just one of their last 15 Tuesday matches [9W, 5D, 1L].

Historically, encounters with Mallorca have been challenging, with Sevilla losing two of their last five away games against them [2W, 1D, 2L]. García Pimienta emphasized the importance of strong defense and clinical finishing, stating: "Now we have to think about Mallorca. We will have to defend well and be clinical in front of goal because we create chances."

Likely to stick with the familiar 4—3—3 formation, Sevilla is expected to feature Dodi Lukebakio, Isaac Romero, and Lucas Ocampos leading the attack. Suso appears to be the only absentee for this midweek fixture.