RCD Mallorca face a key test for their promotion aspirations on the tenth matchday of the Segunda División this Saturday. Luis García's side visit SD Eibar, the co-leaders of the championship, with an urgent need to improve their poor away form. The team comes into this match on the back of a run of three wins and one loss in their last five games, which included the 3-1 victory over Las Palmas on Sunday 11 October.
The Bermellones sit fourth in the standings with 17 points, four behind leaders Almería and also four behind Eibar. From their nine games they have recorded five wins and two draws, scoring 11 goals and conceding just four. A win at Ipurua would put them just one point behind the Basque side, a statement of intent they have yet to make on their travels. This season, the team has managed only one away victory and scored a solitary goal outside Son Moix.
A test of balance
Luis García warned in the pre-match press conference of the Basque team's ability to defend as a unit and punish on the counter-attack. "Since my arrival, I have not stopped insisting on the importance of maintaining balance," explained the Mallorca coach. This match will test that very virtue, following an inconsistent run of results that included two games without a win before the 3-1 victory over UD Las Palmas last time out. In that match, the goals came from Pablo Torre, Álex Sala and Adrián Fuentes, the latter being their top scorer this season with five goals.
For that match, the team recovered Pablo Torre, who had overcome a viral issue, and striker Soumahoro. Both are available for the clash at Ipurua, while the long-term absences of Manu Morlanes and Antoniu Roca remain. Arnau Puigmal was the surprise omission from the last squad.
The opponent: a wounded Eibar
Jokin Aranbarri's Eibar arrive at the match having seen their seven-game winning streak snapped by a 3-1 defeat to Real Oviedo. With 21 points, the Basque team is the second-highest scorer in the division with 19 goals and welcomes back striker Gift. Their most notable absence is midfielder Sergio Álvarez.
The home attack is shared among several players, with Jon Guruzeta leading the way with three goals. For Mallorca, the offensive reference is Adrián Fuentes, the team's top scorer with five goals, who netted the third against Las Palmas last week. RCD Mallorca's next fixture after the trip to Ipurua is another tough away game, making a three-point haul here vital to keep pace with the promotion spots. Before that trip, the team faces the second-placed side this Saturday 17 October.
This story first appeared at marca.com
