A pre-season campaign of set-backs for Mallorca has manifested itself into a mixed beginning to the Primera Division campaign, and Michael Laudrup’s side will be aiming to get their first win on the board on Saturday evening, when Osasuna visit the Balearic Island.
For over a year now, the ONO Estadi has been a formidable venue for visiting teams. On the opening day of the season, Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho era was supposed to get off to a victorious start at the arena, yet los Blancos were stifled by the home side, who picked up a highly creditable scoreless draw.
Laudrup couldn’t mastermind a repeat of that relative success when els Barralets visited Sporting Gijon last weekend. Indeed, Mallorca succumbed rather tamely to a 2-0 defeat, leaving them in the relegation zone in the embryonic table.
“It is complicated, but we are not a bad team in the league. You have to see that we can do better, but we cannot begin to have doubts. We must show that we have a team to compete and we are here to fight,” Jose Nunes explained, shrugging off last weekend’s loss.
When the sides met in the Balearic Islands last season, Mallorca ran out 2-0 victors, and a repeat of that success would be heartily welcomed by Laudrup, who is still chasing his first win since being installed as coach during the summer.
No Protection
Mallorca may have been anticipated to be Real Madrid’s first victims of the season, but that dubious honour instead fell to Osasuna, who put up a ferociously stubborn resistence to Jose Mourinho’s men at the Bernabeu last weekend before falling to a somewhat scrambled effort from Ricardo Carvalho.
Jose Antonio Camacho was quick to lambast referee Fernando Teixeira Vitienes, whom he claimed failed to give his side the protection that was afforded to the hosts. “The only player out injured is one of mine,” he growled after the fixture, referring to Javier Camunas, who is now doubtful for the weekend trip.
Los Rojillos are a team who can be typically found to be tremendous resilient, though rarely especially easy on the eye. Camacho has disciplined them into a well organised unit, and they should expect comfortable safety in La Primera this season, though they did allow their form to tail away towards the end of last term and have shown few signs of it picking up early in this.
An opening day draw against Almeria was by no means a terrible start to the campaign, and though it’s no disgrace to be shut out at the Bernabeu, it’s never ideal to be approaching a third match of the season without having put the ball in the net.
On the bright side, even if Osasuna do lose on Saturday, they’ll have already played away in two of last season’s toughest venues.
TEAM NEWS
Mallorca
Michael Laudrup has announced that he expects Marti to be fit enough to compete for a place in the starting XI for this fixture, despite suffering a thigh injury. Tuni missed out last weekend, while there have been no reports of fresh worries ahead of the weekend’s game.
Nunes will serve a one-match ban.
Probable Starting XI: Aouate; Cendros, Ramis, Ruben, Ayoze; Diaz, De Guzman, Marti, Castro; Cavenaghi, Nsue
Osasuna
Javier Camunas is a big doubt to participate after being injured last weekend at the Bernabeu. Javad Nekounam and Damia Abella picked up minor niggles in the capital but have both trained fully since Tuesday, while Sergio has shaken a hamstring injury.
Asier is being slowly reintegrated into the squad after missing the trip to Madrid, while Josetxo is still training alone.
Probable Starting XI: Ricardo; Damia, Sergio, Miguel Flano, Monreal; Juanfran, Soriano, Nekounam, Camunas; Pandiani, Aranda
Prediction
Both teams would have recognised the potential to be near the foot of the table after meeting Real Madrid early on, but the three points at the weekend are more important to the hosts, who are wholly reliant upon their home form to make progress this season. Whatever happens in this encounter, the tone will be set for the campaign, with Mallorca favourites to scrape a narrow win.
Mallorca 2-0 Osasuna
