Match Pack: RCD Mallorca vs Athletic Club (LaLiga MD32)

Athletic Club travel to the Balearic Islands to face RCD Mallorca where we have another opportunity to move closer to those all-important European places

Despite Thursday's setback against Sevilla FC, Los Rojiblancos have been in good form of late and will be confident about their chances of getting a decent result against Javier Aguirre's well-drilled outfit.

With the end of the season fast approaching and time running out, every fixture now has added important as Athletic look to achieve their goals.

Match Info
RCD Mallorca vs Athletic Club

Visit Mallorca Estadi (Palma de Mallorca)

LaLiga Santander 22/23 (Matchday 32)

Monday May 1, 19:00 CEST

How to Watch
Check out our global TV guide to make sure you know when and where you can watch this match

Team News
Valverde has named a 21-man squad for the trip to Mallorca

Jon Morcillo, Iker Muniain and Iñigo Martínez are all out injured, as is Ander Capa, who suffered a knee ligament sprain on Sunday evening. In addition to those, Oihan Sancet misses out after reaching five yellow cards.

On the other hand, Iñigo Lekue is back after recovering from a hamstring issue, while Mikel Vesga and Oier Zarraga return to the fold after serving their respective one-match suspensions for accumulating five yellow cards.

Valverde's Comments
Catch up with what the gaffer had to say ahead of the clash

The Opponents

Head coach: Javier Aguirre

"El Vasco" as he is known due to his Basque heritage, Mexican native Aguirre is an experienced operator at the top level. A midfielder as a player, Javier played for a range of clubs including Club Ámerica, Atlante, Osasuna and Chivas. At international level he won 59 caps for the Mexican national side.

He took his first steps into management with Atlante in 1995 and has since led several big clubs and international sides: Pachuca, Mexico (two spells), Osasuna, Atlético Madrid, Zaragoza, RCD Espanyol, Japan, Al-Wahda, Egypt, Leganés, Monterrey and Mallorca.

Aguirre took over at Mallorca in March last year with the club stuck in a relegation battle. Ultimately, they secured survival on the final day of the campaign.

Top goalscorer: Vedat Muriqi

A Kosovan international with 46 caps and 23 goals to his name, the 6ft 4in target-man spent most of his career playing in the Turkish leagues before moving to Lazio in 2020.

He joined Los Bermellones on loan in January and quickly became a fan favourite as his five goals and three assists in 16 matches helped keep the side in LaLiga Santander. Mallorca made the move permanent ahead of this season.

Muriqi has been almost ever-present in their 2022/23 campaign, netting 12 times in 28 appearances.

Recent form (LaLiga): DDWWL

Strong home form, which has seen Mallorca achieve 1-0 wins over both Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid at Son Moix, has allowed the Balearic Islanders to reach the 40-point mark and mostly avoid the relegation battle this term. 

As for their last five fixtures, they have picked up two wins, two draws and a recent 3-1 away loss against Diego Simeone's Colchoneros.

Previous Meetings
The first LaLiga encounter between the two sides was a 0-0 draw back in 1960/61. They have faced each other a total of 59 times in the top-flight, with Los Leones registering 28 wins, 14 draws and 17 losses.

Athletic have traditionally struggled on their visits to Palma. From 29 matches, they've managed seven victories, 10 draws and 12 defeats.

Los Bermellones' period of absence from LaLiga Santander has limited our trips to Mallorca over the last decade. However, the results remain indicative of how challenging the trip is: two losses, two draws and one win in our last five matches at Son Moix.

Athletic and Mallorca kicked off their LaLiga 2022/23 campaigns with a hard-fought 0-0 draw in Bilbao. The Lions had the better chances to score, with Mikel Vesga and Yuri Berchiche both hitting the woodwork.