Espanyol vs Mallorca Preview- Prediction, team news, lineups
Espanyol will look to extend their unbeaten start to the season when they welcome Mallorca to the RCDE Stadium on Monday evening.
The Catalan side have made a strong start to the campaign and currently sit sixth in LaLiga, level on seven points with reigning champions Barcelona.
In contrast, Mallorca have endured a tough opening to the campaign, finding themselves in 19th place and inside the relegation zone.
Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images
Match Preview
Espanyol, who finished 14th in LaLiga last season, have made a bright start to the new campaign. They opened with an impressive 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid, followed by a 2-2 draw against Real Sociedad and a narrow 1-0 win over Osasuna.
During the international break, Manolo González arranged a friendly against French second-tier side Pau FC, currently joint leaders in Ligue 2, to ensure his players maintained their sharpness ahead of the upcoming fixtures.
Their strong start comes on the back of a busy summer transfer window that saw eight departures, most notably highly rated goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who joined Barcelona in a €25 million move.
The White and Blues wasted no time in finding a replacement, bringing in experienced shot-stopper Marko Dmitrovic from Leganes on a free transfer.
In total, Espanyol secured 13 new signings to bolster their squad as they look to build on last season's 14th-place finish.
Mallorca, meanwhile, have endured a difficult start to the season and are still searching for their first win. However, with early fixtures against Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, their results perhaps do not tell the full story.
Jagoba Arrasate's side began their campaign with a 3-0 home defeat to Barcelona, a match made even more difficult after being reduced to nine men following two red cards.
They responded with a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo before producing an encouraging display at the Bernabéu, where they narrowly lost 2-1 to league leaders Real Madrid.
The fixture list offers little respite, with upcoming games against Espanyol, Atletico Madrid, Alaves and Athletic Bilbao all presenting stern challenges before the next international break.
To build confidence, Mallorca will be desperate to secure their first victory of the campaign sooner rather than later, though the road ahead looks testing.
Espanyol hold a slight advantage in the overall head-to-head record, winning 13 of the previous meetings compared to Mallorca's 12, while six encounters have ended in draws.
Notably, Mallorca claimed a 2-1 victory in the most recent clash back in March, though Espanyol had won the two prior meetings by the same 2-1 scoreline.
Mallorca and Espanyol last faced eachother back in March. Photo by Rafa Babot/Getty Images
Team News
Espanyol will be without Javi Hernandez due to injury, but otherwise head into the game in strong shape, with no surprises expected in Manolo González's starting XI.
Javi Puado and Kike Garcia are set to lead the line for the hosts, while Edu Exposito should retain his place in central midfield. Pere Milla has been a standout performer so far this season, scoring twice already, and is expected to continue in a wide role.
For Mallorca, Javi Llabres is their only injury concern and will undergo a late fitness test.
Vedat Muriqi remains the key attacking threat through the middle, with Sergi Darder a guaranteed starter in midfield. Summer signing Mateo Joseph is still searching for his first goal but is likely to keep his place in the final third alongside Muriqi.
Espanyol possible starting XI:
Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Cabrera, Calero, Romero; Dolan, Lozano, Exposito, Milla; Puado, Garcia
Mallorca possible starting XI:
Roman; Kumbulla, Raillo, Valjent; Morey, Darder, Morlanes, Mojica; Torre; Muriqi, Joseph
We Say: Espanyol 2-1 Mallorca
Espanyol have made a strong start to the season and kept themselves sharp during the international break with a friendly, leaving them well prepared to continue their positive run of form.
That said, it will not be a straightforward task for the Catalan side. Mallorca possess plenty of quality in their ranks which helped them secure a 10th-place finish last season, just four points shy of the European places.
As has often been the case in recent meetings between these two, a close and competitive contest is expected, but Espanyol may just have enough to edge it on home soil.