Mallorca will aim to move further clear of La Liga’s relegation zone when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Balearic Islands on Monday night.
The hosts currently find themselves in seventeenth place – five points clear of the bottom three and 11 points behind Athletic Bilbao.
🎯 @oihan_15 & @InigoMartinez ✨#AthleticEspanyol #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/LnVIMxA1wE— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) February 7, 2022
🎯 @oihan_15 & @InigoMartinez ✨#AthleticEspanyol #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/LnVIMxA1wE
The visitors, on the other hand, sit eighth in the standings – one point shy of the European places and four points outside the top four.
Mallorca have only managed to win five of their 22 league matches this season, recording eight draws and nine losses along the way.
Having netted a measly 19 goals this term, they are the second-lowest scorers in the division – behind nineteenth-place Alaves.
Mallorca finally ended a four-game losing streak last weekend, beating Cadiz 2-1. That was their first La Liga win since December 4.
When you look at the bigger picture, Mallorca have only managed to win two of their previous 14 league games.
That said, they have lost just two of their last 20 home games across all competitions – meaning they will be confident of keeping Bilbao quiet.
On the flip side, Athletic have registered a league-high ten draws in 23 matches this season – notching eight wins and five losses in the process.
They head into Monday’s clash on a four-game unbeaten streak in La Liga, having picked up three wins and a draw since their last loss.
Better still, Bilbao have only suffered two defeats in their previous 15 away encounters across all competitions.
With a place in the top four well within their reach, Athletic will fancy their chances of dispatching struggling Mallorca on Monday.
Head-to-head: Across their previous nine meetings in all competitions, Mallorca have failed to beat Athletic Bilbao.
It is also worth noting that Mallorca have failed to score in each of their previous three meetings with Athletic in all competitions.
Team news: Mallorca currently have no injury concerns. That means head coach Luis Garcia has a full-strength squad to choose from.
By contrast, Athletic Bilbao will be without the injured duo of Unai Vencedor and Nico Williams on Monday.
While Mallorca have lost four of their last five La Liga games, Athletic Bilbao have won three of their previous four.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Athletic Bilbao will beat Mallorca – keeping a clean sheet en route to victory.