RCD Mallorca face a tough trip to El Collao this Wednesday to play the Copa del Rey first round against CD Alcoyano. The Balearic side, currently in the Segunda División, take on a Segunda Federación opponent in a single-leg tie that promises to be demanding. The team enters this match sitting seventh in the Segunda División with 19 points, from five wins, four draws and two losses in eleven games.
Manager Luis García has made it clear that league standings mean little in this competition. "Alcoyano is a team that will undoubtedly have maximum excitement." the coach explained. The club arrives at this match after two consecutive draws in the league, against SD Eibar and CD Leganés, results that keep them seventh in the standings with 19 points. In their recent form, the team has taken just 4 points from the last 12 available, with a record of one win, three draws and one loss in their last five matches, a sequence that includes the 1-1 draws with Eibar and Leganés. Their attack has scored 13 goals in 11 matchdays and conceded only six, with Adrián Fuentes as top scorer on six goals. The team is seven points behind the leaders, Castellón.
Absences and forced rotations
The squad faces the match with several key absences. Alberto Moreno, who suffered a shoulder issue against Leganés, joins a list of unavailable players that includes Arnau Puigmal, Morlanes, Jan Salas, Dani Luna, Antoniu Roca and Josep Cerdà. This situation will force García to rotate his lineup, as he has confirmed, giving minutes to deserving players. Polish striker Adam Buksa is expected to be in contention to start the game.
Alcoyano, eleventh in their Tercera RFEF group, will look to repeat their recent cup heroics, where they eliminated top-flight sides like Levante UD and Real Madrid. The El Collao stadium, sold out for the occasion, will be a fortress for the hosts. The last meeting between the two at this venue was on 1 October 2017, a 2-0 Mallorca win in Segunda B. However, the bitterest memory for the Mallorca fans is the elimination in the 2005 Copa del Rey, when Alcoyano, then in the lower tiers, beat them on penalties after a 4-1 aggregate loss.
With one eye also on the next league fixture at home to Cádiz, which will be played on Sunday 1 November against the 18th-placed side, RCD Mallorca need to find a win to rebuild confidence. The team must demonstrate their superiority in a traditionally difficult setting. The match is an opportunity to get back on track after an inconsistent run of results.
This story first appeared at alicanteplaza.es
