Sitting just one point behind their nine-game start to the previous two LaLiga seasons, that victory lifted Sociedad closer to the LaLiga top four as they mount another challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot.
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad boast their longest winning streak of their nearly 200 competitive matches with Imanol Alguacil in charge, as their 2-1 triumph away to Celta Vigo at the weekend secured a seventh-straight win across all competitions. Sitting just one point behind their nine-game start to the previous two LaLiga seasons, that victory lifted Sociedad closer to the LaLiga top four as they mount another challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot. Alguacil has been in the job long enough to know seasons aren’t defined in October and has been publicly demanding humility and an unerring focus from his players, telling them: “Be honest, be humble, keep working and think that we haven’t done anything.”
Occasional slip-ups, such as the defeat to Getafe in September, are reminders of their imperfections. Still, they have every reason to be confident of disposing of Mallorca after nine wins from their last 11 matches as home favourites across all competitions.
Mallorca
Despite their mid-table position, Mallorca seem to be once again flirting with the relegation zone, completing the ninth round just two points ahead of Almería in the final relegation spot. Efficiency in front of goal will be an area that manager Javier Aguirre needs to address, not least because his side conjured up the most goal attempts in all three games of their current LaLiga winless run. Concerningly for Mallorca, as far as this match is concerned, they have lost all four encounters with LaLiga clubs to have finished seventh or higher last season following 1-0 home defeats to Barcelona and Sevilla earlier this month.
With no more than one goal to their name in each of their last six LaLiga games against any opposition, Mallorca will have to avoid a repeat of the defensive sloppiness that saw them concede the only goal of the match against Sevilla at the weekend.
Brais Mendez has provided the goal that has given Sociedad a half-time lead in each of their last two LaLiga home fixtures. Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in will be the only Mallorca player to have scored away from home this LaLiga season in the absence of the suspended Vedat Muriqi. Just one of Mallorca’s nine LaLiga matches this season has seen more than one first-half goal.