La Liga is regarded by many as the best football league in the world game. Two teams desperate to be playing in the Spanish top-flight next season are Real Mallorca and Albacete.
The pair clash in the first leg of their promotion semi-final play-off on Thursday night at the Iberostar Estadi. Neither side heads into this one in great form, as Mallorca won just one of their last five games in the Segunda, while Albacete lost three of their final four league outings.
If either had been in better form at the end of the season, they could very well have mounted a proper challenge for automatic promotion. Instead, they finished fifth and fourth place respectively in the Spanish second tier.
Both sides have endured a long absence from the Spanish top-flight. Real Mallorca’s last spell in La Liga was back in 2013. Meanwhile, Albacete have endured a 13-year absence from the Spanish top-flight.
With little between the two sides, this could be a tight clash. Mallorca’s last four league games have produced under 2.5 goals. Forebet predicts that will game will follow suit with the Islanders recording a low-scoring win.
While the home sides recent matches have been relatively low-scoring, the same cannot be said of the visitors, as three of their final matches in the Segunda produced over 2.5 goals.
What makes this an interesting clash is that it pits a strong home team against a decent away side. Mallorca heads into the clash on the back of a 12-game unbeaten run on home soil. Their solid defensive record has played a big part in that good home run, as five clean sheets in seven games illustrate.
Albacete have won four of their last six games on their travels in the Segunda. They also won in Mallorca in the league clash earlier this season.
This game could truly go either way. However, Real Mallorca’s home record may just be enough to give the home side a vital lead to take into Sunday’s second leg.