Valencia's search for their first La Liga victory since December 20 will continue on Saturday afternoon when they make the trip to Visit Mallorca Estadi to take on Mallorca.

Los Che are currently 12th in the table, boasting 30 points from their 25 matches, while Mallorca sit 16th, six points clear of the relegation zone heading into the next set of fixtures.

Match preview

Mallorca have won six, drawn right and lost 10 of their 24 league matches this season to collect 26 points, which has left them in 16th spot in the table, six points clear of the bottom three, while they also have a game in hand on 18th-placed Cadiz.

The Pirates are bidding to make it back-to-back seasons at this level of football for the first time since 2013, and their recent form has left them in a strong position to avoid the drop, winning two of their last three in the league against Cadiz and Athletic Bilbao.

Luis Garcia's side will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat at Real Betis on Sunday, but they have only lost once at home in Spain's top flight since the end of September, which should leave them full of confidence heading into a contest with an out-of-form Valencia outfit.

Mallorca have not actually lost at home to Los Che since March 2011, while they have picked up four points from the last two league games between the two sides, including a 4-1 victory when they last locked horns in Palma in January 2020.

Valencia, meanwhile, will enter this contest off the back of successive league defeats to Alaves and Barcelona, which has seen them drop into 12th position in the table.

Jose Bordalas's side are in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, drawing 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their last-four affair on February 10, but they have not been victorious in La Liga since December 20.

Towards the end of 2021, Valencia had the look of a side capable of challenging for a European spot, but they are now nine points behind sixth-placed Villarreal on the same number of matches (25).

The six-time Spanish champions finished 13th in Spain's top flight last season - their worst campaign since claiming 14th in 1987-88 - but the club are only one point clear of 14th-placed Elche, while they are just four points ahead of Mallorca in 16th.

Valencia have struggled for consistency on their travels this season, collecting just 12 points from 12 away matches, which is only the 11th-best record in the division, while as mentioned, they have not managed to beat Mallorca on their travels in La Liga since March 2011.

Team News

Mallorca will be missing Iddrisu Baba, Dominik Greif and Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta this weekend through injury, but Brian Olivan is available for selection after serving a suspension last time out.

Olivan should return to the side at left-back, while Antonio Sanchez is expected to feature in central midfield due to the absence of Ruiz de Galarreta.

The home side could otherwise be unchanged from the side that started against Real Betis, with Angel Rodriguez being joined by Vedat Muriqi in the final third of the field.

As for Valencia, Toni Lato is suspended, while Jose Gaya remains an injury doubt, so there could be a start at left-back for teenager Jesus Vazquez.

The visitors will also be missing Jasper Cillessen and Thierry Correia, while Gabriel Paulista is unlikely to start, having only just returned from injury.

Carlos Soler and Bryan Gil should again operate in the wide areas for Los Che, with Goncalo Guedes and Hugo Duro starting up front, although Maxi Gomez and Marcos Andre are also pushing for starts.

Mallorca possible starting lineup:
Rico; Maffeo, Raillo, Valjent, Olivan; Kubo, Sevilla, Sanchez, Rodriguez; Muriqi, Angel

Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Diakhaby, Alderete, Vazquez; Soler, Guillamon, Moriba, Gil; Guedes, Duro

We say: Mallorca 1-1 Valencia

Valencia are a difficult team to back at the moment, and Mallorca's home form means that it is even harder to predict an away victory. Los Che will fancy their chances of avoiding defeat, though, and we are expecting the two teams to share the points in a low-scoring draw.

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