Almeria will be looking to boost their survival hopes in La Liga when they welcome Mallorca to Power Horse Stadium on Saturday night.
The home side are currently 15th in the table, two points ahead of the relegation zone, while Mallorca occupy 12th position, boasting 44 points from their 34 matches during a strong campaign.
Match preview
Almeria secured a return to La Liga by winning last season's Segunda Division, so consolidating back at this level was always going to be their main priority for the 2022-23 campaign.
La Union have picked up 36 points from 34 matches this season courtesy of a record of 10 wins, six draws and 18 defeats, which has left them in 15th position in the table, two points ahead of the relegation zone.
Rubi's side have won two of their last four league matches, including a 2-1 victory over Elche in their last home game, but they will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 defeat at Osasuna.
Almeria's home form this season has been relatively strong, picking up 29 points from 17 matches, but they have found it really difficult on their travels, securing just seven points from 17 games.
UDA suffered a 1-0 loss to Mallorca in the reverse match last September, but they recorded a 1-0 victory when these two sides last locked horns in Almeria in Spain's top flight in May 2011.
Mallorca, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Cadiz, with Pablo Maffeo scoring the only goal of the contest in the 16th minute at Visit Mallorca Estadi.
The Pirates finished 16th in La Liga last season on their return to the top flight, and they are set to improve on that position this term, currently occupying 12th position in the table on 44 points.
Javier Aguirre's side are only actually four points behind seventh-placed Girona, so a European finish is not out of the question, which would represent an excellent campaign.
Mallorca will host Valencia in their next match after this one before travelling to Barcelona and welcoming Rayo Vallecano in their final two league games of the season.
Los Bermellones have only picked up 15 points from their 17 away league games this season, suffering 10 defeats in the process, but they have won four of their last six top-flight matches against Almeria.
Team News
Almeria will again be missing Kaiky, Martin Svidersky and El Bilal Toure on Saturday through injury, while Chumi is a doubt due to a muscular problem.
There are not expected to be any surprises when it comes to the home side's XI, with Leo Baptistao, Luis Suarez and Adri Embarba set to feature as the front three.
Alejandro Pozo should again line up at right-back, while there are also unlikely to be any midfield changes, with Rubi set to keep faith with those that started at Osasuna despite the disappointing result.
Mallorca, meanwhile, will again be without the services of Antonio Raillo, Matija Nastasic and Giovanni Gonzalez for this weekend's contest through injury.
Head coach Aguirre has plenty of options for change, with Antonio Sanchez and Dani Rodriguez among those pushing for spots in the XI, but Amath Ndiaye should retain his position in the side.
Lee Kang-in and Vedat Muriqi are also certain starters for Mallorca, who are expected to again line up with a back five, including Maffeo and Jaume Costa in the wing-back positions.
Almeria possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Pozo, Ely, Babic, Centelles; Melero, De la Hoz, Robertone; Baptistao, Suarez, Embarba
Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Maffeo, Valjent, Baba, Copete, Costa; Morlanes, Ruiz de Galarreta; Ndiaye, Muriqi, Kang-in
We say: Almeria 1-1 Mallorca
This is a really tough match to call, as both sides are in need of the points at this stage of the season for very different reasons. It would not be a surprise to see a home or indeed an away victory, but we just have a feeling that the points will be shared on Saturday in a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
body check tags ::
Previews by email
