Will Sampaoli get his first win in the third match?
The ninth matchday in the Spanish football top flight is on the agenda this weekend and Saturday is all about the relegation battle. Five games are on the agenda, with the three bottom teams in the table among those in action. Quite surprisingly, they also include a CL contender that has to play on Germany’s favourite island. The match between Mallorca and Sevilla will kick off at 18:30 on Saturday.
The home side from Mallorca have nine points after eight matchdays and are twelfth in the table. The Andalusians have been the big disappointment in the Spanish top flight so far and have only celebrated one win. Despite the existing crisis for the visitors, the lowest odds are offered for betting on the CL participant between Mallorca and Sevilla.
The risk in betting in the direction of the visitors cannot be denied, but given the quality available in the squad, the slight favourite role is well justified.
Mallorca – Statistics & current form
The rollercoaster ride of recent years came to an end last season. After Mallorca changed leagues every year since the 2017/18 season (three promotions, one relegation), continuity was achieved for the first time in 2021/22. Although the issue of relegation was present until the end in the previous year. Thanks to two victories at the end of the season, Javier Aguirre’s team was still able to celebrate staying in the league.
Don’t expect many goals
With 63 goals conceded, the islanders had one of the weakest defensive lines in the league last season. Only the relegated Deportivo Alaves and Levante conceded more goals. With the signing of the Serbian team goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, the number of goals conceded has drastically decreased.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper has only had to make nine saves in the eight games so far. Only in the 1:4 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium against Real Madrid was there no sign of the much more stable defence. As a result, bets on Mallorca to score under 2.5 are very promising this season. This was the case in six of the eight league games in 2022/23, and on Saturday between Mallorca and Sevilla only odds of around 1.60 are offered for this prediction.
Another factor in favour of this bet is the suspension of striker Vedat Muqiri. The newcomer from Lazio Rome has scored four of the seven league goals for the Mallorcans this season. However, he will be unavailable due to a red card following an assault in the 1-1 draw with Elche.
Predicted line-up of Mallorca:
Rajkovic – Raillo, Copete, Valjent – Cufre, Ruiz de Galarreta, Baba, Maffeo – Sanchez, Lee – Rodriguez
Last matches played in Mallorca:
La Liga
11/10/2022 – Elche 1 – 1 Mallorca
02/10/2022 – Mallorca 0 – 1 FC Barcelona
17/09/2022 – Mallorca 1 – 0 Almeria
11/09/2022 – Real Madrid 4 – 1 Mallorca
03/09/2022 – Mallorca 1 – 1 Girona
Sevilla – Statistics & current form
Julen Lopetegui knew his days as Sevilla coach were numbered after the final whistle in the 4-1 defeat to BVB and bid a tearful farewell to the supporters. The new coach was already in place and is an old acquaintance in Andalusia. For the second time, the Argentine Jorge Sampaoli takes over the red and whites from Sevilla. He was already head coach at Sevilla in the 2016/17 season (average 1.75 points per game, fourth place).
Two draws at the start
Meanwhile, Sampaoli has already been on the sidelines for two competitive matches. The fact that the team is still unbeaten is certainly positive, but they have not managed a win yet either. Both in the league against Athletic Bilbao and in the top flight against BVB, the team drew 1-1.
Only six points from eight league games is Sevilla’s weakest start to a season in more than a decade. At this point last year, Sevilla had 17 points to their name. However, due to the enormous quality in the squad, the turnaround is only a matter of time. Sevilla will look to move back up the table as the season progresses.
The performance at Signal Iduna Park was certainly a step forward and a glimmer of hope. Qualitatively, the Andalusians are certainly one step above the home side from Mallorca. In addition, Sevilla collected four of the six points away from home (the only victory came at Espanyol Barcelona). Despite the current crisis, a tip in the direction of the visitors is a very good option between Mallorca and Sevilla due to the very high betting odds.
Predicted Sevilla line-up:
Bono – Nianzou, Marcao, Carmona – Acuna, Gudelj, Rakitic, Navas – Lamela, En-Nesyri, Suso
Last matches played by Sevilla:
Champions League Grp. G
12/10/2022 – Borussia Dortmund 1 – 1 FC Sevilla
La Liga
08/10/2022 – Sevilla FC 1 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
Champions League Grp. G
06/10/2022 – FC Sevilla 1 – 4 Borussia Dortmund
La Liga
01/10/2022 – Sevilla FC 0 – 2 Atletico Madrid
18/09/2022 – FC Villarreal 1 – 1 FC Sevilla
Mallorca – Sevilla Direct comparison / H2H balance
In the island kickers’ short-lived LaLiga intermezzo in the 2019/20 season, the Andalusians celebrated a 2-0 win over RCD Mallorca both home and away. Last season, they met again, but this time there was no winner, with both games ending in a draw. One thing these four games have in common is that in all four matches between Mallorca and Sevilla, the prediction on the under 2.5 was the correct decision.
Mallorca – Sevilla Tip
The odds offered on the three-way market for the clash between Mallorca and Sevilla are very balanced. The available quality in the squad is by no means to be put on a par, but the guests from Sevilla have rarely convinced this season. The recent performance at BVB was definitely a step in the right direction. With Rakitic, Isco, Lamela or Januzaj, the Andalusians have an enormous amount of individual class in their ranks.
Mallorca may look back on a better start to the season, but can definitely be placed below the Andalusians. In particular, between Mallorca and Sevilla, the absence of top scorer Muqiri argues against betting on the home side. The Kosovar attacker is virtually the life insurance in the offensive game of the Mallorcans. His absence is another argument for betting on an away win. A 2.60 for Sevilla offers great value in any case, five units are recommended as a bet.
