Two teams battling to remain in La Liga will lock horns for a key contest on Saturday afternoon, as Mallorca welcome Granada to Visit Mallorca Estadi.
Mallorca are currently 16th in Spain's top flight, one point ahead of 18th-placed Granada, with both teams having four league games left to play of the 2021-22 campaign.
Match preview
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Mallorca suffered a 2-1 defeat at Barcelona last time out, but it was another positive performance from a team that have won two of their last four in the league, beating Atletico Madrid and Alaves in their last two home fixtures to leave themselves outside of the relegation zone heading into the final straight.
Javier Aguirre's team are currently 16th in the table, one point clear of 18th-placed Granada, and they will take on Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna in their final three league games of the campaign.
Mallorca, who were promoted from the Segunda Division as runners-up last season, are bidding to make it back-to-back campaigns at this level of football for the first time since 2013.
The Pirates have had their problems this term, but Aguirre has won two of his five matches since taking over as manager, and survival is very much in their hands ahead of their final four league games.
Mallorca have been relatively impressive on home soil this season, picking up 24 points from their 17 matches, and they will be welcoming a Granada outfit that have won just twice on their travels this term.
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Granada, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo on May 1, which made it back-to-back draws in the league, having also shared the points with Atletico Madrid on April 20.
Aitor Karanka's side are without a league victory since the middle of March, though, and a total of 31 points from 34 matches has left them in 18th spot in the table, one point behind 17th-placed Cadiz.
Despite only winning twice on their travels this season, Granada have been difficult to beat away from home, losing just eight of their 17 fixtures, which is a strong record considering their position in the table.
The Andalusian outfit have finished seventh and ninth in their last two La Liga campaigns, but they are now fighting to avoid relegation back to the second tier for the first time since 2018-19.
Granada have actually won their last three La Liga matches against Mallorca, including a 4-1 victory in the reverse match earlier this season.
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Team News
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Mallorca will again be missing Aleksandar Sedlar and Dominik Greif this weekend, while Jaume Costa is likely to be absent due to a muscular problem.
The home side are otherwise in strong shape, and it would not be a surprise to see Aguirre name an unchanged XI from the one that took to the field for the first whistle against Barcelona.
Indeed, a 3-4-3 formation is likely to include Antonio Sanchez in midfield, while Fer Nino and Angel could be supported in the final third of the field by Dani Rodriguez.
As for Granada, Raul Torrente, Ruben Rochina and Carlos Neva are on the sidelines for this weekend's key relegation encounter.
Darwin Machis scored off the bench against Celta last time out and could now come into the starting side, potentially taking the place of Angel Montoro in an attacking area.
Maxime Gonalons is also pushing to be involved in the middle of the park, but Jorge Molina might have to accept a spot on the bench once again, with Luis Suarez set to lead the line.
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rico; Russo, Raillo, Valjent; Maffeo, Sanchez, Battaglia, Olivan; Angel, D Rodriguez, Nino
Granada possible starting lineup:
Maximiano; Puertas, Sanchez, Barcia, Escudero; Collado, Gonalons, Milla, Uzuni; Machis; L Suarez
We say: Mallorca 2-1 Granada
Mallorca have won their last two league matches on home soil, and we fancy the hosts to triumph once again here. Both teams are in desperate need of the points, but we believe that Mallorca will shade a close match to collect a hugely important three points.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Mallorca win with a probability of 44.92%. A win for Granada had a probability of 28.01% and a draw had a probability of 27.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Mallorca win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.4%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.81%) and 2-0 (8.56%). The likeliest Granada win was 0-1 (9.25%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.76%). The actual scoreline of 2-6 was predicted with a 0% likelihood.
