Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao Preview & Prediction | 2023-24 Spanish Primera
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THE FACTS
When is Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao on and what time does it start? Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao will take place on Sunday 3rd September, 2023 – 15:15 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao? Visit each club’s official website for the latest ticket information
What TV channel is Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao on in the UK? Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao will be televised live on LaLigaTV, but La Liga matches are also televised occasionally on Viaplay Sports and ITV
Where can I stream Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao in the UK? Mallorca vs Athletic Bilbao can be streamed live on Viaplay, while ITV matches can be streamed live on ITVX
THE LOWDOWN
MALLORCA
Towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign, Real Mallorca appointed experienced manager Javier Aguirre and the Mexican led the Balearic Islanders to survival in La Liga. Then, last season, they managed a comfortable mid-table finish. Despite the loss of Lee Kang-in to Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, Mallorca have signed and recruited well with further American investment coming from Team USA basketball head coach Steve Kerr.
However, on the pitch so far this season, as they switch system to two up-front, Mallorca have been very unconvincing. They required a late equaliser away to newly-promoted Las Palmas on the opening day of the season before being outplayed by Villarreal and losing 1-0 in their opening home game at San Moix. Then they were beaten 3-2 by Granada in Andalusia, who were also only promoted last season.
ATHLETIC BILBAO
It has been a bizarre, entertaining but quite successful start to the season for Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club. The Basque side are expecting to finally break back into the top seven and earn European qualification this season after, once again, narrowly missing out last time around by finishing below Osasuna, who also defeated them in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey a couple of months before that.
They began with a 2-0 defeat at home to Real Madrid this season and captain Iker Muniain publicly expressed how poor and lacklustre they had been, especially how they started. Since then, though, they have earned an impressive 2-0 win away to Osasuna and followed that yup with a 4-2 win against Real Betis last weekend in a game in which they were 2-0 down in the opening ten minutes.
THE TEAM NEWS
MALLORCA
Javier Aguirre is searching for a formula and may well switch away from the front two system that he has been deploying. He remains without key defender Antonino Raillo.
PREDICTED XI (3-5-2): Rajkovic; Maffeo, Gonzalez, Valjent, Copete, Lato; Rodriguez, Mascarell, Darder; Muriqi, Abdon
UNAVAILABLE: Raillo (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
ATHLETIC BILBAO
Ernesto Valverde has welcomed back some key players for this weekend but the former Barca boss remains without Oscar de Marcos and Yerey Alvarez for this week.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Simon; Lekue, Vivian, Paredes, Garcia de Albeniz; Vesga, Ruiz de Galarreta; I.Williams, Muniain, N.Williams; Guruzeta
UNAVAILABLE: de Marcos (Injured), Nolaskoain (Injured), Yeray (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
THE PREDICTION
A Javier Aguirre very rarely undergoes a long winless streak and three matches without a victory will be verging on peaking for the Majorcans. The home team are naturally defensive but have potentially stumbled on a more effective strike partnership between Abdon Prats and Vedat Muriqi. Athletic will seek to hit Mallorca on the counter with the Williams brothers and Gorka Guruzeta supporting the creative spark of Iker Muniain. An unusually high-scoring game could unfold in Palma.
TIP: OVER 2.5 GOALS
