Mallorca vs Cadiz

Cadiz’s bid to avoid relegation from La Liga will be on the line when they meet mid-table Mallorca at the Visit Mallorca Estadi this weekend.

Mallorca looked poised to secure a top-half finish in La Liga not long ago before a dismal three-game winless streak (D1, L2) stopped them in their tracks. Last week’s 2-1 defeat at Girona prevented ‘Los Piratas’ from mathematically securing top-flight survival, but avenging that loss against Cadiz will do the trick. And manager Javier Aguirre would hardly accept anything less, especially after his men racked up five wins in their last eight La Liga meetings with Cadiz (D2, L1). But Mallorca’s only defeat in that run came in the reverse fixture (0-2), meaning they could suffer only their second-ever league double at the hands of this opposition. That looks far-fetched, though, with the hosts keeping Cadiz at bay in six of their last seven league encounters at home (W5, D2).

In the meantime, Cadiz’s thumping 5-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid last weekend could have substantial repercussions when it comes to their hopes of ensuring top-flight survival, as they commence this round only one point clear of 18th-placed Getafe. That abysmal result in the capital left ‘El Submarino Amarillo’ at a single win in their last eight away matches in La Liga (D3, L4). Adding to Sergio Gonzalez’s sizeable list of concerns, his men netted a poor average of 0.42 goals per game across those seven winless outings, highlighting the importance of staying solid at the back. That’s been one of Cadiz’s virtues lately, as they’ve kept a clean sheet three times on their last five La Liga travels. Therefore, it’s hardly a surprise that they picked up points four times in that run (W1, D3, L1), having done so in only one of their previous five away La Liga clashes (W1, L4).